Incidents

We are tasked by the emergency services, including HM Coastguaard, Fire & Rescue, Police and the Ambulance Services. Our teams are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Below are the callouts that we have attended.

• Beachley 06-04-23

  We were called out shortly before 4pm, to support Gloucestershire Constabulary with a search for a high risk missing person believed to be in the Beachley area.

  Land Search team members from SARA Tewkesbury and Cotswolds Stations, as well as Beachley, made their way to the RV at SARA Beachley and Beachley lifeboat crew were also brought to standby at the station.

  Fortunately the lady in question was spotted by two SARA members en route to the RV, and the Police were able to attend to her directly. The SARA team were stood down by 4.30pm.
  A great result, and many thanks to everyone who attended.

  6th Apr 2023

  6th Apr 2023

• Stinchcome 02 & 03-04-23

  At 22:03 last night (2 April) the SARA Land Search team was called out by Gloucestershire Constabulary to assist with a search for a missing person in the Stinchcombe area. Team members from SARA Beachley, Tewkesbury and Cotswolds stations all deployed.

  Searches were conducted until 3am, then suspended to allow team members to get some sleep prior to restarting again in daylight this morning. As team members gathered at Stinchcombe prior to re-commencing searching the missing person was found sadly deceased in an adjacent area.

  Our thoughts are with the missing persons family and friends at this difficult time. We would like to thank colleagues from SARDA South Wales, Wiltshire Search and Rescue and Avon & Somerset Search and Rescue who were travelling to assist us with our searches today.

  3rd Apr 2023

  3rd Apr 2023

• Lydney 25-02-23

  At 1344 hrs, the Sharpness Lifeboat crew were tasked with an immediate launch by Milford Haven Coastguard to assist a sailing dinghy with two persons on board, south of Lydney harbour.

  As crew arrived on scene, the dinghy was located aground on the sands and its crew were transported ashore, with the vessel secured by its anchor.

  At 2130 hrs, crew re-launched for the recovery of the anchored vessel. Working closely alongside HM Coastguard Chepstow the crew re-located the dinghy which had moved with the incoming tide, and returned it back to its awaiting owners at Lydney Harbour.

  All assets were back on station and ready for service at 2305 hrs.

  25th Feb 2023

  25th Feb 2023

• River Severn – St Pierre Pill 22-02-23

  SARA Lifeboat 1 ‘The Jim Hewitt’ was launched shortly after 8am this morning; the Coastguard having received reports of two vessels adrift on today’s super high spring tide.
  HM Coastguard Chepstow helped to navigate the lifeboat to their location, and the crew were able to take both vessels into St Pierre Pill.

  Chepstow Coastguard were there to make sure the boats were secure and to liaise with Chepstow & District Yacht Club.

  22nd Feb 2023

  22nd Feb 2023

• Standish Woods, Stroud 21-02-23

  Land search teams were called out to the Standish Woods area to the north of Stroud in the last afternoon, to support Gloucestershire Police with the search for a high-risk missing man. Crew from SARA Beachley, Tewkesbury and Cotswolds, together with Glos Cave Rescue assembled at the RV, as searches were commencing the Police identified that the missing man was well outside of that area, and we were stood down around 1900.

  21st Feb 2023

  21st Feb 2023

• River Severn Blackrock 20-02-23

  SARA Lifeboat 3 ‘Swift and Bold’ was launched shortly after 2am this morning. The Coastguard had reports of a person potentially somewhere in the vicinity of Black Rock, as part of a Gwent Police missing person search.

  We searched the area for around 3 hours, with Coastguard helicopter Rescue 187 searching from the air and HM Coastguard Chepstow doing likewise along the long section of shoreline, supported by further Coastguard Rescue Teams from Penarth and Portishead.

  Nothing was found and the teams were stood down after 5am. It was right at the bottom of a low low tide, so our crew then had to wait for a while at the end of the slipway for the water to rise sufficiently for them to be able to get the lifeboat back onto its trailer!

  HM Coastguard have subsequently reported that the missing person was located inland by the Police.
  Many thanks to all who responded.

  20th Feb 2023

  20th Feb 2023

• Warminster 05-02-23

  Sharpness water rescue team was requested to assist Wiltshire Search and Rescue and Wiltshire Police this morning with a vulnerable missing person search in the Warminster area.

  Unfortunately, shortly before we commenced the search, they located a body. It took a carefully planned multi-agency response along with DWFireRescue Tactical Control, to safely recover the person from the water to the awaiting authorities.

  Thank you to everyone that made this possible, under some tough conditions. Our deepest sympathy is with the family and friends of the individual at this time.

  5th Feb 2023

  5th Feb 2023

• Coleford 03-02-23

  Our land search teams were called out this afternoon to support Gloucestershire Police with a search for a missing teenager in the Forest of Dean.

  Crew from SARA Beachley, SARA Tewkesbury and SARA Cotswolds stations assembled at Coleford. Our Search Controller had just finished working with the police to put our search plan together when it was reported that the missing lad had been found safe and well.

  Many thanks to all who responded and to Lidl Coleford for letting us use their car park.

  3rd Feb 2023

  3rd Feb 2023

• Newport 04-01-23

  We were tasked this morning at 0945, to support South Wales Fire & Rescue Service with an incident in the Usk near Newport City Centre.
  The team responded quickly and were a few minutes away from launching our SARA Floodboat, ‘Rescue 20’ when it was reported that the situation had been resolved with everyone safe and well.

  4th Jan 2023

  4th Jan 2023

• River Severn M4 SSC 29-12-22

  SARA Lifeboat 1 was launched shortly after 10.30pm, to support a police operation on the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge / Second Severn Crossing.
  Thankfully the situation was resolved safely before too long, and we were stood down around 11.15pm.

  29th Dec 2022

  29th Dec 2022