RNLI volunteers came to the rescue of a chief firefighter when his boat started to sink in Lyme Bay.

The Lyme Regis RNLI crew answered a Mayday call from retained station commander at the town’s fire station, Virgil Turner, this morning and were able to pump water out of his boat.

Mr Turner was fishing from his 21ft open sports boat, At Last 11, when it began to take on water while it was a quarter of a mile offshore – between Charmouth and Lyme Regis.

A spokesman for Lyme Regis RNLI, said: “The pump on Mr Turner’s boat failed, and the lifeboat crew used their salvage pump to control the water level.

“The lifeboat crew, who launched at 8.39am, towed At Last 11 to the safety of Lyme Regis Harbour at 9.03am.”

Deputy Launching Authority (DLA) at Lyme Regis Lifeboat Station, Adrian Ragbourne, praise Mr Turner for his action.

He said: “This was a very fast and efficient rescue.

“Mr Turner did exactly the right thing in issuing a Mayday call and he was very grateful for the prompt actions of our volunteer crew.”