Lifeboat crews were kept busy with four rescues over the weekend in Thanet including two children getting stuck in the mud.

Crews from Ramsgate RNLI were called out once on Saturday and twice yesterday as colleagues in Margate were also called out to a sinking fishing boat on Sunday afternoon.

The first rescue on Saturday afternoon involved two children stranded on a dinghy with the engine overheating off Ramsgate.

The inshore boat, Clare and David Delves, arrived at the scene shortly after 2pm and escorted the youngsters safely back to the launching ramp at the Western Under Cliff in the town.

Two children were stuck in the mud off Pegwell Bay after riding their bikes along the beach on Sunday afternoon.

A member of the public mate the call to the coastguard just before 2pm.

The inshore lifeboat (ILB) launched with the main all-weather lifeboat's smaller rescue boat as it can reach more shallow water than the inshore lifeboat.

When the crew arrived they could not find any casualties so searched the shore.

A spokesman for Ramsgate RNLI said: "Further information came from the first informant, that the two children had started to make their way towards Ramsgate.

"The ILB was then asked to stand by until confirmation that the children were safe. A report then came in from the local mobile coastguards that two lorry drivers had spotted two very muddy children walking ashore to Ramsgate."

The inshore boat launched again just three hours later along with the main lifeboat, Esme Anderson, to a yacht which had run aground in the entrance to the River Stour shortly after 5pm.

The main boat was unable to reach the stricken vessel as there was only one metre of water below the boat.

The crew from the inshore boat managed to reach the casualty to fix a line and tow into deeper water before returning to the station.

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