Littlehampton RNLI respond to two shouts in four hours.
The first shout followed a call from a member of the public to the UK Coastguard reporting a lifejacket floating in the River Arun half a mile upstream of the A259 road bridge.
Littlehampton RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew were paged at 4:17pm on Friday 6 July and the stations Atlantic 85 lifeboat Renée Sherman launched four minutes later and proceeded up the river to the reported location, where the lifejacket was located. The lifeboat crew commenced the search, during which clothing was found on the east bank of the river and was taken aboard the lifeboat. The search continued towards Ford Marina, but nothing was found. The UK Coastguard requested that the crew returned the clothing to its original position for the Coastal Rescue Team to be able to pinpoint their search area. The river search was terminated at 5.22pm and the lifeboat returned to the station.
At 7:54pm the stations Atlantic 85 lifeboat Renée Sherman and volunteer crew launched for the second time following a call from a jet skier to the UK Coastguard stating that his jet ski had broken down a quarter of a mile from the beach between Littlehampton Harbour and Climping. On scene the lifeboat crew rigged up a tow line to the jet ski and towed it and the skier back to Fisherman’s Quay in Littlehampton Harbour, where the Coastal Rescue Team were waiting to interview the jet skier. The lifeboat returned to the station at 8:45pm where it was refuelled and made ready for service.
RNLI media contacts
- Ray Pye, Littlehampton RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer / 07854 074688, email [email protected]
- Paul Dunt, Regional Media Officer (South East) on 0207 6207426, 07785 296252, email [email protected]
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.
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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.