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In London, the RNLI rush to the rescue of a man in the water in the Thames, while in Fleetwood a desperate 999 call alerts the crew to a man in danger of being swept out to sea.

Of the calls the RNLI respond to every year, some are a race against the tide while others are against the weather. But all of them are a race against time. The crew at Tower, on the River Thames in London, are the busiest of all the lifeboat stations, averaging over 500 shouts a year and aiming to launch to any emergency in under 90 seconds. When a call comes in about a man in the water near the Thames Barrier, they reach him with just moments to spare.

In Fleetwood, on the Lancashire coast, a desperate 999 call alerts the crew to a bait digger - out looking for worms on the sand flats - who has been caught out by the incoming spring tide and is in danger of being submerged and swept out to sea. And on the most southerly point of the Sussex coast, in Selsey, the crew race to the rescue of a local diver with a suspected case of ‘the bends’.

29 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Narrator Steven Mackintosh
Series Producer David Mackay
Executive Producer Sarah Spencer
Director Phil Broadhurst
Producer Sunny Kang
Production Company Blast! Films

Broadcast