Scarborough RNLI's £2m lifeboat arrives at new home

The Shannon class lifeboat is capable of reaching a speed of 25 knots

A £2m Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) vessel has arrived at its new home on the North Yorkshire coast.

The Shannon class lifeboat reached Scarborough after travelling from where it was built in Poole, Dorset, on the south coast.

Named Frederick William Plaxton, the boat is powered by water jets rather than traditional propellers.

People filled the town's new lifeboat station to welcome the boat's crew.

Scarborough RNLI's volunteer crew travelled to Poole in Dorset to collect the new lifeboat

A new building was required to house the lifeboat as it is larger than the outgoing Mersey class vessel, the RNLI said.

Funded by donations from the F W Plaxton Charitable Trust, it was named after the founder of Scarborough coach building firm Plaxton Ltd in his memory.

The new lifeboat pulled off high-speed manoeuvres in front of a large crowd in Scarborough

Capable of reaching a speed of 25 knots, the new lifeboat is 50% faster than the old boat it replaces.

John Senior, RNLI lifeboat operations manager, said: "Naturally we'll miss our current all-weather lifeboat, but we're also excited about receiving a Shannon, whose advanced technology means we'll be able to reach people a lot more quickly and further off shore."

The RNLI, founded in 1824, operates more than 230 lifeboat stations and depends entirely on donations.

A new lifeboat station in Scarborough will house the £2m Frederick William Plaxton