Gosport lifeboat station issues warning after ‘busiest start to a month ever’
Lifeboat crews in Gosport have issued a safety warning to people cooling off in the sea, following a record number of callouts in the first half of July.
Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS) — already one of the busiest lifeboats in the UK — says it recorded 22 incidents across the Solent and Portsmouth Harbour in the first half of July, after soaring temperatures sent people flocking to the coast.
Speaking to The News, GAFIRS community director Tom Clark said: “With the weather so hot, many people are cooling off in the sea but we’d like to urge people to be very cautious of strong tides – especially near the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour.
“The tide there can travel at an incredible pace making it impossible to swim against and those taking a dip from the Hot Walls can easily get into trouble.”
Crews have been launched seven times to assist people in the water or in danger. In one incident, which happened during the GAFIRS Open Day on 17 July, volunteer crew were called into action to help a man reported as clinging to a lateral navigation pile in Portsmouth Harbour. He had been swept away in the strong current, and was rescued unharmed.
On route back to the station, the lifeboat received its third call of the day to a vessel in difficulty in Osborne Bay. The vessel was taken under tow to the safety of Cowes Harbour. These incidents took the total number of calls for GAFIRS in 2022 to 79.
GAFIRS secretary Keith Thomas adds: “This is the busiest start to a month we have ever had with our crews assisting on 22 incidents.
“We’d urge anyone going near the water, be that on a boat or for a dip, to ensure they take the right precautions and have safety equipment with them to help in an emergency.”
Earlier this month, The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Her Majesty’s (HM) Coastguard teamed up remind families to take care when visiting the coast, as new figures reveal that during the school summer holidays last year, of the 41 lives saved by RNLI lifeguards, 39 per cent were children under 13.
RNLI callouts to aid paddleboarders in trouble have also rocketed in recent months.
