Blyth RNLI respond to reports of persons in the River Blyth near Factory Point

On Friday 4 October at 8.13pm the volunteer crew at Blyth RNLI were paged by UK Coastguard. Shortly afterwards both inshore lifeboats and they proceeded north up the River Blyth to search an area around by Blyth Boating Association.

The Atlantic 75 B Class inshore lifeboat heard shouts for help from a gentleman in the water that was holding onto a post in the river. He was quickly located and recovered aboard the lifeboat and taken the short journey back to the lifeboat station.

The D Class inshore lifeboat carried out a further search and having spoken to another casualty that had made their way to the safety of the river bank it was established that there were no further persons in the water.

Due to the position the casualty was in it was decided that they should also be taken back to the lifeboat station where they could be assessed by the North East Ambulance Service.

There were 2 further casualties that had made their own way out of the water and were with the local Blyth Coastguard unit who were also in attendance.

Barry Pearson, Lifeboat Operations Manger at Blyth RNLI, commented;'We were requested by UK Coastguard to search for persons in the water in the River Blyth, who we quickly located. Having spoken to them, they had been unfortunate in that their tender had sunk in the river. The male casualty had managed to float on his back and then found a post to hold onto until the volunteer crew found him. A good team effort meant that everyone is safe and well.'

The charity's national drowning prevention campaign Respect the Water highlights the risks, helps you avoid them and gives advice to keep you and those around you safe and further details can be found here https://rnli.org/safety/respect-the-water.

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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