St Bees and Workington lifeboats launch to reports of person in the water

St Bees RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew launched and made their way to Whitehaven in moderately choppy seas. The search was assisted on land by local Coastguard Rescue Teams from Whitehaven and Maryport. Due to the time critical nature of the shout, HM Coastguard also tasked Workington RNLI to assist in the search. As the search continued into the evening and due to losing the light, St Bees RNLI requested the assistance of a Coastguard helicopter to help with the search. Both lifeboats carried out searches along the coast while the Coastguard teams searched inland and across the beach.

At approximately 10:10 pm after an extensive search carried out on land, sea and air and with no sign of the missing person, both RNLI lifeboats and Coastguard Rescue 199 were stood down by HM Coastguard. Due to worsening sea conditions around St Bees Head, St Bees lifeboat crew made the call to instead take the lifeboat to Whitehaven Harbour rather than recover at the lifeboat station.

At this time, it is believed that the call was a false alarm with good intent. Overall, this was an excellent example of different emergency services and assets working together to enable a thorough search covering a wide and varied area.

Dick Beddows, volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager for St Bees RNLI, said:

‘Although on this occasion, it appears that it was a false alarm with good intent, we encourage the public to make that call 999 and ask for the coastguard if they suspect something amiss at sea.’

Notes to editors

● St Bees lifeboat station has been operating since 1970. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to http://www.rnli.org.uk/StBees

RNLI media contacts

For more information please telephone Colin Wadey, St Bees RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07742207222 [email protected] email deputy lifeboat Press Officer Joe Raymond [email protected] or Claire Elshaw, Regional Media Officer on 07468 353 082 or [email protected] or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.

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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 over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and, in a normal year, 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 142,700 lives.

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.