A volunteer lifeboat crew rescued two people aboard a fishing vessel that was drifting towards an offshore sandbank.

Margate's RNLI all-weather lifeboat was called out yesterday afternoon after a commercial fishing boat suffered machinery failure off the Herne Bay coast.

The boat was about two miles north-east of the seaside town when those onboard contacted the coastguard reporting they were drifting towards an offshore sandbank and required assistance, an RNLI spokesman said.

The lifeboat went out and, after making sure the occupants of the fishing boat were safe and well, towed the vessel to the safety of Ramsgate harbour.

A sandbank is a deposit of sand forming a shallow area in the sea or a river and boats that hit one can run aground, become stuck and suffer serious damage.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity and its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 237 lifeboat stations as well as providing lifeguards on more than 180 UK beaches.