Eight rescued after boat 'overwhelmed' at sea

The Exmouth RNLI crew was called to near Dawlish on Tuesday afternoon

Eight people have been rescued from a small boat which was "overwhelmed" by waves, the RNLI has said.

On Tuesday, Exmouth RNLI crew was called to the sea off Langstone Rock, Dawlish, Devon, after reports a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) was struggling in challenging sea conditions.

The RNLI said six members of the eight-person crew were not wearing lifejackets, and trying to clear water from the vessel after its engine failed.

After the crew was rescued and returned to Teignmouth, Exmouth RNLI issued a reminder for "all water users" to wear a lifejacket while at sea.

"Despite the spells of sunshine on Tuesday, the westerly winds were making conditions on the water quite challenging," said Andy Stott, Exmouth RNLI coxswain.

"The RNLI would always advise checking the weather conditions carefully before setting out into open water."

He said the lifejacket's function was to "keep you afloat if you find yourself in water".

"Fortunately, we were able to get to the casualties yesterday before this happened," he said.