It's a festival that celebrates the area's important fishing traditions and heritage.

And hundreds of people turned out as the distinct smell of herring cooked in rolled oats and beef dripping drifted across the beach at Hemsby, near Great Yarmouth, on Sunday.

The fish were being cooked in the traditional way over barbecues in the open air at the Hemsby Inshore Rescue Service's annual herring festival.

The popular Longshore Herring Festival returned to Hemsby beach in fine weather – allowing the life-saving team to cook up a fund-raising treat and tempt hundreds of people.

And organisers hailed the event as 'absolutely amazing' – as all the herring sold out, with early estimates suggesting about £4,000 had been raised from the day to boost the independent lifeboat station.

With Hemsby Inshore Rescue Service crew members and helpers donning aprons to serve up the fish, hundreds of local residents and holidaymakers tucked into the freshly cooked treats.

The festival also included a range of fun activities, with displays from the East Anglian Working Newfoundland dogs, an auction, tombolas, a raffle, games, model trucks for the children to play on, music, refreshments, cake stalls and a bar all attracting the crowds.

The festival is not only a major fund-raiser for the independent lifeboat, but a celebration of the Yarmouth area's important fishing traditions and heritage.

A delighted coxswain of the Hemsby Inshore Rescue Service, Dan Hurd, said: 'It has been absolutely amazing. Every year we always have a few fish left – but this time people were coming up for more when we had sold out!

'The turnout was amazing, the weather was great, everything has been on our side – it has just been incredible.'

Paying tribute to the 'absolutely fantastic' crew and fund-raisers, who worked tirelessly to ensure the day was a success, Mr Hurd added: 'I did not think we would ever get a turnout like this – but the public have really supported this event and we are over the moon with it. I would like to thank Paul Lines, who donated all the fish, Donna from the Dolphin fish shop on Beach Road who paid for the plates, cutlery and condiments, Terry Barnes from Scratby bakery for donating 1,000 rolls, Val who made 500 cakes for us, the 25 helpers and crew members who helped to keep the tradition going, Sid and Terry Sullivan for being amazing DJs on the day and all the businesses for donating tombola and raffle prizes.'