Emergency call-out delays Blackpool lifeboat ceremony

A lifeboat call out delayed the naming ceremony

The launch of a new lifeboat for Blackpool had to be temporarily halted when the crew received a distress call.

The William and Eleanor was about to be named after its donor when there was an emergency alert.

Two adults and two children were safely rescued by the crew after getting trapped in the sea.

The £204,000 Atlantic 85 B class inshore lifeboat was bought with a legacy from the late William Seed from Stockport, who died in 2009.

Mr Seed wanted the craft to honour his sister Eleanor.

The ceremony on Saturday saw a new launching carriage also accepted on behalf of the station.

This carriage and the alterations needed to accommodate it at the boathouse were funded by a legacy from Ronald Austin Whittingham, who died in 2009.