Record rain sees RNLI launches fall

Crews launched more than 400 times in the north of England to rescue people in difficulty at sea, on the beach – and once from a flooded caravan park.

In Yorkshire, Whitby was the busiest station with 20 launches (down from 26 in 2011), followed by Scarborough, 14, and Filey and Humber both on 12.

RNLI Divisional Inspector, North, Andy Clift, said: “Our lifeboat volunteers tend to be busiest when the sun is shining and people are flocking to the coast. This summer, there weren’t many days like that and we think that is the reason for the fall in lifeboat launches.”

One of the most unusual rescues of the summer was by Filey RNLI, who went out on foot on July 6 to rescue four people, some with special needs, after a deluge left a caravan park at Cayton Bay, near Filey, 2ft under water.