New Clacton lifeboat moves one step closer to service

The Shannon lifeboat was built at the RNLI's base in Poole

A new lifeboat has moved a step closer to being launched into service.

The vessel, which will operate from Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, has rolled off the production line.

It was built at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in Dorset and is expected to be delivered later in the year.

Crew member Mark Walsham said: "It really is state of the art. Every electronic system that most modern boats have, we have on board."

The Shannon-class lifeboat has been designed to cope with the most serious of weather conditions and contains the latest computer technology.

It is expected to arrive in Clacton in the autumn

"It is going to strengthen our capability in the Clacton area because we can go further offshore and save lives at sea," Mr Walsham told BBC Essex.

"They [high-tech features] are all there to aid our crew to make sure we can get to people as quickly as we can, locate them and get them out of water."

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