LIFEBOAT crews risked their lives in gale force winds and rough seas after receiving what later turned out to be a hoax Mayday call from a yacht on the River Mersey.

Hoylake RNLI's lifeboat spent three hours searching the entrance to the buoyed channel of the river on Tuesday afternoon after a call for help was picked up on a marine band radio.

A search and rescue helicopter from RAF Valley in Anglesey was also tasked to the search.

Richard Jones, from Holyhead Coastguard, described the hoax caller as "irresponsible" and said such an act put others in danger.

The senior maritime operations officer: "This type of incident can endanger the lives of volunteers who respond to call outs. They can prevent Search and Rescue resources from responding to genuine incidents."

The Mayday call was picked up by Mersey VTS, who control shipping movements in the River Mersey, shortly after 2 pm on Tuesday.

The weather conditions were poor with a rough sea and big swell and winds gusting up to gale force.

Hoylake’s Shannon class lifeboat, the Edmund Hawthorn Micklewood, with a volunteer crew of six searched in vain for over three hours to find the source of the Mayday call before returning safely to station.

Navigator and mechanic Chris Williams said: "Being volunteers we are always prepared to go out in any weather to do the job we train so hard for.

"Putting our lives unnecessarily at risk in appalling conditions is not what we expect. I cannot understand what makes someone make a hoax call like this.

"Quite apart from wasting the money provided through the generosity of the British public, the lifeboat was diverted from what could have been genuine life-saving tasks. Such actions are extremely irresponsible."

A spokesman for RNLI Headquarters said it was important to emphasise that hoax calls not only endanger lives of the volunteer crews, but also tie up valuable lifesaving resources which "could place those in genuine need of help in worse danger".

The spokesman added: "Operations of this nature waste the funds of the RNLI, a charity that relies on donations and legacies, as well as the time and money of other agencies involved in search and rescue at sea."