Tributes have been paid to dedicated RNLI veteran Ron Cannon who passed away last night.

The retired coxswain from Ramsgate was an active RNLI volunteer for more than 50 years and was made an MBE last year.

Mr Cannon, who retired as coxswain in 2001, was handed the award for services to the charity.

In a post shared on the RNLI Ramsgate Facebook page this morning, his son Paul Cannon wrote: "It’s with a broken heart to inform you that my dad has passed away last night 07-01-18 he was the biggest influence in my life, my best friend and my hero I’ll miss you so much it will hurt forever and always in my memories and my heart

"Love you dad x."

Mr Cannon was a crew member on Ramsgate lifeboat at one of the busiest stations in Britain for 37 years, and served as coxswain for 25 of those.

An RNLI spokesman said: "All at Ramsgate RNLI lifeboat station are very sorry to learn of the death of Ron Cannon MBE on 7 January, after a period of illness.

"He will be sorely missed both as a friend and a ready source of information about the RNLI and local maritime history."

During his time at the helm of Ramsgate lifeboat he was awarded two silver Gallantry medals, the RNLI’s second highest honour.

Following family tradition, Mr Cannon joined Ramsgate lifeboat crew in 1964 and was appointed the station’s coxswain/mechanic in 1976, at the time the RNLI’s youngest coxswain.

This was shortly before the arrival at the station of the RNLI’s Waveney class lifeboat Ralph and Joy Swann, a new and advanced lifeboat design based upon a vessel proven by the US Coastguard.

He was twice awarded the RNLI’s silver medal for “truly outstanding seamanship and tremendous courage”.

The first was during the evening on Boxing Day 1985 when he and his volunteer lifeboat crew members saved a French trawler and its seven-man crew when the trawler had run aground in Ramsgate’s Pegwell Bay.

The second was in November 1999, when he led his crew to rescue the three people aboard a yacht aground on the Goodwin Sands in difficult and dangerous conditions.

For each of these rescues he was also presented with The Maud Smith Award for that year’s bravest act of lifesaving by a lifeboat crew member.

Before retiring Mr Cannon carried out hundreds of rescues.

He was succeeded by his eldest son Ian but maintained association with Ramsgate lifeboat station, first as a deputy launching authority and subsequently as lifeboat operations manager until he reached the RNLI’s required retirement age.

His active support for the RNLI and the station continued, however, as president of the station’s management committee.