Gravesend RNLI rescues dog from River Thames near Tilbury

RNLI Thames Commander Andy Colley said, ‘We had already had a busy day, what with a tasking at 8:21am to Erith and then a day of exercise, we were just getting ready for shift handover and the direct line from London Coastguard rang.’

Gravesend RNLI’s Atlantic 85 made the short distance across the Thames to Tilbury and arrived on scene within 60 seconds, when they immediately spotted the dog’s owner leaning over the Thames Path wall.

With 10 minutes left of a rising tide, the volunteer crew successfully located the dog in water desperately clawing at the wall, the lifeboat’s crew eventually got the dog safely on board.

Tilbury Port Line Handler Chris Turner said, ‘I’d just finished with the departure of a vessel and when returning to my vehicle I noticed the lifeboat with the flashing blue lights against the shore, next minute it was coming towards me, I didn’t expect them to moor up at Tilbury Terminal with a dog on board!’.

RNLI volunteer Aaron Reynolds said, ‘It’s always a great feeling to witness the reuniting of a dog with its owner, especially after jumping a 14ft wall into a wet landing in the Thames!’

The RNLI volunteers returned to station at 7:08pm before being made ready for service with the night shift crew at 7:30pm.

ENDS

Notes to Editor

Gravesend is one of the RNLI’s newest lifeboat stations and one of four lifeboat stations operating on the River Thames – the first stations to specifically cover a river rather than estuarial waters or the sea.

Our lifeboat is Olive Laura Deare II, an Atlantic 85 B class inshore lifeboat, which is one of the fastest types in the fleet.

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For further information, please contact:

Ashley Bard, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Gravesend RNLI email [email protected]

Hatti Mellor, Regional Communications Manager [email protected]

Julie Rainey, Regional Media Manager (South East), on 07827 358 256 or email [email protected]

RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789 or email [email protected]

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Key facts about Gravesend RNLI

Gravesend RNLI is one of the RNLI’s newest lifeboat stations and one of four lifeboat stations operating on the River Thames. The first stations to specifically cover a river rather than estuarial waters or the sea.

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around Ireland and the UK. The RNLI operates 46 lifeboat stations in Ireland. The RNLI is independent of government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service.

Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, the charity has saved over 142,200 lives.

Key facts about the RNLI

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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For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.