RNLI rescues two after vessel sinks near harbour

Two mariners have been rescued after their boat sank near the entrance to Littlehampton Harbour.

The Littlehampton lifeboat was called out shortly after 19:30 BST on Saturday to a 15ft (4.6m) cuddy, which was about 100m (328ft) south of the harbour entrance.

Crews said the two men were found standing in waist-deep water after the mariners used two flares, allowing rescuers to locate the sunken boat.

The station's D-Class lifeboat, Spirit of Fidelity, took the men, who were "cold but well" safely back to harbour, where they were met by coastguards and shore crew and taken to the lifeboat station to warm up, the RNLI said.

Chris King, launch authority at Littlehampton RNLI, left a wedding reception to coordinate the rescue effort.

"At Littlehampton RNLI, we're all volunteers who train hard in all weathers, 24/7," he said.

"When the pager sounds, we drop everything to save anyone in distress."

He said: "The River Arun is one of the fastest-flowing rivers in the UK, but the water can become extremely shallow at low tide, especially a low spring tide like yesterday evening.

"We're all relieved that the casualties were well despite their ordeal."

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