Lifeboat crews were called after reports a boat was being “harassed” by jet skiers.

Volunteers from Sheerness RNLI were called to two unrelated incidents in the space of a few hours in The Swale and Medway Estuary yesterday (August 11).

The first call for assistance came at 5.11pm when it was reported the Peel Port Harbour Masters RIB was being “harassed” by jet-skiers.

A RNLI spokesperson said: “While the jet skis had left, the two people on the RIB were very shaken and also wet after being swamped by the reckless action of the jet-skiers.”

It was confirmed no one had been in the water as first reported and having escorted the RIB back to Sheerness docks the lifeboat was stood down.

By 8.25pm the lifeboat launched again after reports two jet skis had suffered machinery failure and were drifting in The Swale off the Elmley Nature Reserve shoreline.

They had been found by 9pm on mud flats but the crew needed specialist rescue equipment to free them.

The Coastguard helicopter arrived at around 11pm after completing another call-out and lifted both casualties to safety, leaving the jet skis on the mud flats.