Littlehampton RNLI called into action twice in 2 hours

The crew was first sent out just before 3.10pm to assist a foil boarder in difficulty close to Bognor Regis pier.

An RNLI spokesperson said: “The volunteer crew, on D-Class lifeboat Ray of Hope, raced to the scene. They discovered that the casualty’s foil had become caught in some fishing netting. Our crew helped the casualty onto Ray of Hope and returned them back to their family who were waiting on the beach.”

The crew returned to the lifeboat station but 10 minutes later, it was called into action again just after 4.45pm.

The spokesperson said: “ The crew relaunched Ray of Hope and raced to Littlehampton East Beach where a person was struggling with a paddleboard.

“The crew helped the casualty onto Ray of Hope and returned them to the beach where a crew member waited with the casualty until the Coastguard arrived. Ray of Hope returned to the lifeboat station at 5.30pm.”

The shouts were the first for Littlehampton RNLI volunteer Mark Nicholls as helm.

He said: “I qualified as helm in December, and my first shout as helm quickly turned into my second! It was a busy two hours, but that’s what we’re here for - to help everyone.”