THE team at Hoylake RNLI is supporting preliminary trials of different crafts being considered as a potential successor to the current hovercraft.

Introduced in 2002, the inshore rescue hovercraft (IRH) continues to be an "invaluable asset" in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (RNLI) fleet as new figures show it has aided over 1,000 people across the country in its lifetime.

The inshore rescue hovercraft has enabled the RNLI to carry out its lifesaving work in areas inaccessible to conventional lifeboats since 2002.

Designed for search and rescue purposes, the hovercraft can tackle incidents on tidal mudflats or sand where the surface is too soft to support land vehicles and where the water is too shallow for boats.

The charity currently operates seven hovercrafts out of four stations including Hoylake, Morecambe, Hunstanton and Southend-on-Sea with three parts of its relief fleet.

Hovercraft Commander at Hoylake RNLI, James Whiteley, said: "The hovercraft has become a real, and significant, asset to the station and the RNLI overall.

"It is a very specific craft designed to tackle different terrain and there has been many occasions that without the hovercraft, some people wouldn’t be alive today."

With large areas of mud, sand and shallow water the Hoylake Lifeboat Station requires the craft for its unique capabilities in reaching inaccessible areas, shoreline searches, and tackling dangerous terrain.

To find out more about the RNLI’s hovercraft, visit: RNLI.org/hovercraft.

The RNLI urges those on or near coastal waters to:

  • Check the weather forecast and tide times before visiting the coast.
  • If you find yourself unexpectedly in the water, remember to FLOAT – fight the urge to thrash around, lean back, and extend your arms and legs.
  • If you find yourself in an emergency or spot someone else in trouble, you should call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.