Emergency? We’re coming to get you...
A hoax Mayday call claimed that a boat was sinking off the Cullercoats coast – and the lifeboat crew responded in their Halloween fancy dress.
The RNLI and the volunteer life brigade were sent on a wild goose chase after the mayday call came through on the coastguard’s radio, interrupting their Halloween party on Saturday.
Still dressed in their spooky outfits, volunteers from the Cullercoats Lifeboat – resembling an assortment of villains and monsters – ran through the town to the lifeboat station where they took to the water to try and find the phantom ship.
Due to the lack of moonlight and reduced visibility, Tynemouth Lifeboat crews provide assistance and extra lighting while the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB) also searched from the shore.
The late-night call claimed that the vessel was taking on water, so the rescue crew were dispatched and thoroughly searched the coastline and waters, but found no sinking ships.
Headless Helmsman Ben Bradshaw said: “It was the scariest bunch of people I’ve ever seen turn up for a shout.”
After an initial search, the search area was expanded and both lifeboats covered the sea between St. Mary’s Island and King Edward’s Bay, before they stood down just before 1am.
Believing it to be a malicious call, a spokesman for the TVLB said: “The UK Coastguard had received a ‘mayday call’ via VHF Channel 16 from a vessel said to be in this location which reported taking on water.
“The Brigade worked with RNLI lifeboat teams from Cullercoats and Tynemouth to search the shore and waters from St Mary’s Lighthouse to King Edward’s Bay.
“With nothing found and no further information being available, all teams stood down around 1am.”
The crew are used to running out of events – in June, Ben’s wedding was interrupted during the speeches when they were called out to rescue a powerless ship.
The guests were just about to be served their meal and enjoy speeches from the groom and best man at the Grand Hotel in Tynemouth, when they rushed out to the rescue.
Three crew members, including Adam Wiseman and Grahame Wood, left behind their meals and headed to the lifeboat station, launching just minutes later to help a broken-down boat which had suffered engine failure two miles east of St Mary’s Lighthouse.
Anyone with information about the hoax call is asked to contact the Humber Coastguard.
HALLOWEEN MAYDAY CALL PROVES TO BE A HOAX