'No fuel' fishing trawler rescued

It took the RNLI more than four hours to tow the fishing boat to shore

A fishing boat and its two crew have been rescued after running out of fuel 15 miles off Amble, Northumberland.

Tynemouth RNLI's all-weather lifeboat was launched in the early hours after receiving a mobile phone call from the skipper of the "Dorothy May".

When the engine stopped, an electrical fault meant the boat also lost power to its radio.

It took the RNLI crew more than four hours to tow the craft to shore, at North Shields fish quay.

Adrian Don, from Tynemouth RNLI station, said: "It seems as if the Dorothy May had used fuel at a far faster rate than her skipper had anticipated.

"Unfortunately, an electrical fault meant her batteries weren't charging so when she lost her engine she also lost electrical power, making her radio useless.

"Thankfully the skipper managed to make a mobile phone call to alert rescuers to his position, and had he not done so it could have taken a very long time before anyone realised he was in trouble, and a long time to locate the vessel."

He added: "Her skipper later brought a huge bag of fresh prawns round to the lifeboat station as a thank you gesture to the volunteer crew who had helped him, which was greatly appreciated".