Hoylake RNLI hovercraft joins coastguard and police in search on Crosby Beach

The hovercraft Hurley Spirit and her volunteer crew diverted from their exercise on Hoylake Beach at 6.32pm and headed to Crosby to assist Crosby and Southport Coastguard Rescue Teams in searching for the reported casualty.

Once on scene, the hovercraft carried out a shoreline search in the dark using searchlights between Crosby Leisure Centre and the Coastguard Station and then beyond to the River Alt. The Coastguard also searched the shore and fired illuminating parachute flares to light the area. A National Police Air Service helicopter also joined the search.

After almost two hours of searching, with nobody located and no further reports of anyone in difficulty, the incident was concluded by the Coastguard as a false alarm with good intent and the hovercraft was stood down.

Hoylake RNLI hovercraft commander Chris Williams said: ‘Although there was nobody in distress on this occasion, we would always encourage anyone to dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard if they think there is an emergency at the coast.’

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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.

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