River Thames: LFB unveils two new fire and rescue boats

The boats are named after World War Two firefighters Harry Errington and Gillian Tanner

London Fire Brigade (LFB) has unveiled two new "state of the art" fire and rescue river boats to its fleet.

The vessels, each worth £1.8m, will be used to "fight very large fires from the riverside," said London Fire commissioner Andy Roe.

He added they would improve "mass rescue capability", with each boat able to carry 45 people.

The boats are part of a £40m investment by City Hall into the brigade in the wake of the Grenfell fire tragedy.

As part of the investment, London's firefighters became the first in the UK to be given access to 64m (210ft) turntable ladders capable of rescuing people from high-rise buildings.

LFB will also become the first brigade in the country to trial a fully electric fire engine this year.

'Right resources'

The new boats, named after World War Two firefighters, Harry Errington and Gillian Tanner, will be able to travel twice as fast as its predecessors.

They also feature high-powered hoses, a hydraulic crane and thermal imaging camera to optimise crews' fire and rescue capabilities, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Mr Roe said: "Each boat is worth about £1.8 million. They're state of the art and what they provide is a really significantly improved mass rescue capability on the Thames, along with the ability to fight very large fires from the riverside."

He added that the new boats could rescue people from the water and also pump river water on to any fires in buildings along the riverside.

Mr Roe was joined on board one of the boats by London mayor Sadiq Khan at the unveiling on Thursday.

Mr Roe said the boats showed City Hall's "significant investment” into upgrading the “kit and capability" of the brigade

Mr Khan said: "The demands on London Fire Brigade have never been higher due to the extreme temperatures and terrible flash floods we have seen as a result of climate change.

"That's why, as mayor, I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure our frontline emergency services have the right resources, policies and equipment to serve all of London's communities."

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