A LIFEBOAT crew rescued a stranded yacht after it lost engine power in the Walney Channel.

The RNLI’s volunteer crew from Barrow Lifeboat Station launched their all-weather lifeboat on Thursday evening to go to the aid of a yacht in Walney Channel.

The call for assistance came through from the regional HM Coastguard base in Holyhead at 7.42pm.

The information received was that a 47 foot yacht with a crew of two on board had reported losing engine power in shallow water off Haws Point in Walney Channel.

The crew was paged, and the all-weather lifeboat, ‘Grace Dixon’, was launched at 7.52pm under the command of Coxswain Shaun Charnley, assisted by a crew of four.

The lifeboat had to proceed with caution upon approaching the casualty vessel due to the shallow water but once at the scene a line was connected, and the yacht taken under tow.

The yacht, which was on passage from Preston to Whitehaven, was towed back to the casualty mooring at Roa Island.

The lifeboat returned to the boathouse at 11.15pm where it was recovered by the waiting shore crew and then washed down in preparation for the next launch.