Non-stop Sunday for Southend RNLI as ten people are rescued

The first call, which saw the RNLI's search and rescue hovercraft launch, came at 12.45pm following a report from UK Coastguard of an unconscious person in a dinghy offshore at Shoeburyness.

The crew arrived on scene to find two persons aboard the dinghy, with the initial casualty suffering the effects of alcohol.

The two, plus the dinghy were taken safely ashore to Shoebury Common Slipway by the hovercraft and met by The Southend Coastguard Team.

Later that afternoon the hovercraft responded to four additional jobs, involving a total of seven people, who were in danger of being cut off by the incoming tide while trying to make it back to shore over the shellfish banks. Some of those who had been cut off were suffering cuts to their feet, but required no further medical attention.

With lifeboat crews now settled at home for the evening, their pagers went off at 9.56pm in response to reports of a female in the water, 150yds offshore, just east of the Sealife Adventure Centre, Eastern Esplanade, Southend.

The inshore lifeboat was launched from the inshore lifeboat station in the dark and made best speed over a short distance to find the female, neck deep in the water and unable to make it to shore, suffering from mild hyperthermia and the effects of alcohol.

The casualty was taken back to the inshore boathouse where she was treated by lifeboat crew, with warm blankets and hot tea to raise her temperature and then be further accessed by a paramedic.

RNLI media contacts:

• Denis Freeman - Southend Lifeboat Station Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer. Tel - 07710406661, [email protected]
• Tim Ash, RNLI Public Relations Manager (London/South East/East)
  Tel - 0207 6207426 / 07785 296252 / [email protected]
• Paul Dunt, Press Officer(London/ South East) Tel- 0207 6207416 / 07786668825 [email protected]
• For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

RNLI online:

For more information on the RNLI, please visit www.rnli.org.uk. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI Press Centre. For more information and photos on Southend on sea lifeboat station go to www.southendlifeboat.org

Key facts about the RNLI: The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 237 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland with 4,700 lifeboat crew and has more than 1,300 lifeguards on over 220 beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 140,000 lives.

Visit the RNLI's official YouTube channel for more films and follow our rescue stories on Twitter.

A charity registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736). Charity number CHY 2678 in the Republic of Ireland.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.