Both Littlehampton RNLI lifeboats launch to two separate incidents.
The UK Coastguard reported that in each incident there was a person in distress, one on the bank of the River Arun and one in the sea.
The first alarm was raised at 2:17pm on Monday 16 July following a VHF radio call with the UK Coastguard detailing a female on the river bank near the Red Bridge. The Police were co-ordinating the action and the Harbour Master requested assistance from the RNLI lifeguards. The stations D Class lifeboat Ray of Hope and volunteer crew launched at 2:24pm and headed up river towards the scene, where the Police had recovered the casualty. The lifeboat was stood down and returned to the station.
At 7:29pm on the same day the stations Atlantic 85 lifeboat Renée Sherman was launched in response to an initial mobile call from the wife of a windsurfer reporting her husband in distress having lost the sail from his sail board. The lifeboat and volunteer crew commenced a search along the West Beach shoreline. The stations other lifeboat was kept on standby, ready to give back up assistance, if required. The person was subsequently identified as being safely on the beach. Two of the lifeboat crew went ashore and along with the Coastal Rescue Team the identity of the casualty was confirmed. At 8:29pm both lifeboats were stood down.
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]
- For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
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
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