Three rescued after cruiser breaks down at Seaton Carew

Hartlepool RNLI volunteers were paged at 5.14pm on Saturday, September 9, to assist an eight-metre cruiser with three people aboard.

The vessel had suffered mechanical failure and ran aground on Longscar Rocks at Seaton Carew.

The inshore lifeboat Solihull launched with four volunteer crew members at 5.37pm and was alongside the cruiser a few minutes later. A towline was attached and the vessel was recovered from the rocks.

Hartlepool RNLI inshore lifeboat helm Matt Adams said: "On what could have been a potentially difficult and dangerous service, good work from my crew meant that we were able to remove the boat from the rocks safely and quickly as the tide was falling and then take it under tow to Hartlepool Marina.”

A Hartlepool Coastguard team were waiting at the Marina to help deal with the casualty vessel.

The inshore lifeboat returned to the Ferry Road lifeboat station at 6.10pm.