Six Teenagers Rescued From Harbour

- Wed 1st Jul 2009

Six teenage boys aged between 14 and 16 had to be rescued from Langstone Harbour. They were night fishing from the concrete- walled oyster beds at the north end of Hayling when they were stranded by the incoming tide. They climbed up the wall to try and escape the rising the water and alerted the coast guard by dialling 999 from their mobiles.

RNLI Portsmouth lifeboats were launched at 2.43 Saturday(27th) morning and arrived 6 minutes later to find the youngsters cut off from the shore.

John Feltham, from RNLI Portsmouth, said: 'They were stood on a 10ft area above the water. It was a little bit of a scare for them.

'They were very respectful lads. They were just caught because they didn't know enough about where they were fishing.'

Atlantic helmsman Tobi O'Neill said: 'People who go fishing, especially at night, should take care to check the height and times of the tides before venturing out.'

He added: 'They should also keep clear of any potential hazards for their own safety.'

Due to the risk of the strong current carrying the lifeboats on to the structure, they had to approach with extreme caution, rescuing them in small groups and then transferring them to a larger Atlantic lifeboat.

All the boys from Hayling, Horndean and Portsmouth were all left unharmed and were checked over by the Hayling Island Mobile Coastguard Unit.

By forum user, Gemma

Discuss this news item in our forum