5:55pm, Wed 19 Sep 2012 RNLI summer rescues increase

Surge in lifeboat call outs despite miserable summer

Last updated Wed 19 Sep 2012

Distressed sailors and struggling swimmers. If you are in trouble at sea - they will be there to help you.

And this summer Kent and Essex had the UK's busiest coastal RNLI lifeboat stations - at Southend on Sea and Ramsgate.

But with the worst summer on record for 100 years - why have call outs soared in some areas? Sarah Saunders has been finding out.

RNLI summer rescues increase

Branches of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution have reported an increase in the number of times their bases have had to launch rescue missions.