Lifeboat crew working long hours to repair tidal surge damage

Masses of sand were taken away by the shore Friday night, with a 45ft wide and 10ft deep drop being formed near the lifeboat station. Today, the crew have been devoting themselves to repair work, having spent the prior day working alongside other emergency services as the village braced itself for the spring tidal surge.

Work has been carried out all day to clear a slipway through the Hemsby gap to enable access to the beach for both the crew and public.

Coxswain Dan Hurd and second coxswain Gerard Roadley-Battin have each spent more than 24 hours at the station, away from their homes and families.

Mr Hurd said: 'Some of us have been here since 6am on Friday morning. We were on alert for the River Bure but were also co-operating with the emergency service and parish and borough councils to make sure Hemsby was safe during the surge.

'Our concern now is making sure that the beach is safe and accessible for the public - a lot of debris has been washed up on the beach including glass, metal and asbestos.'

The crew have been provided machinery from Carter's in Caister, Anglian Plant Hire, as they dedicate hours to repairing the damage.

Mr Roadley-Battin added: 'It wasn't quite as bad as we expected, but equally there is still work to do. It could have been much worse.

'Nobody was injured and that was the main concern. I think everybody saw just what was being put into the operation, so will hopefully go away reassured knowing that we are always prepared for the worst.'

The crew also thanked businesses who have supported them throughout the operation.

Mr Hurd added: 'A huge thanks must go to GB Digger and Plan Hire, who supplied us with a dumper for free of charge, and Tesco who donated food and supplies for us and the rest centre in the Village Hall.'