St Ives lifeboat crew 'assaulted' in parking row

St Ives Lifeboat Station is in the middle of the busy holiday resort.

A lifeboat volunteer was "assaulted" in a row over parking in a seaside resort.

St Ives lifeboat station in Cornwall said a crew member and the son of a crew member were assaulted when they asked a driver parked in a space reserved for them to move his car.

A spokesperson said they had repeatedly had to ask people not to park on the slipway.

Staff said everyone at the station was "appalled and shocked" by the incident at about 23:30 BST on Thursday.

A spokesperson said the incident was "completely unacceptable in every way".

They said: "Parking on our slipway is restricted for Lifeboat Crew and RNLI only. This is so our crew can quickly make their way to the lifeboat station and park and respond to save lives.

"Our crew continue to provide a voluntary lifesaving service to the public in very busy, challenging and difficult conditions particularly right now, and should be able to do so without concerns to their physical safety."

It is not yet known which type of emergency the crew was responding to.

The lifeboat station is in the harbour in the middle of the popular seaside resort which sees huge visitor numbers in the summer.

Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were called to reports of an assault on Wharf Road in St Ives.

A spokesperson said a 45-year-old man from Plymouth had been arrested on suspicion of assault and was in custody.