A small Dutch yacht, which had got into difficulties, was successfully towed back into Lowestoft harbour by the town's lifeboat crew.

A solo crewman aboard the seven metres long vessel had become 'quite exhausted' and needed assistance from Lowestoft's RNLI lifeboat, Patsy Knight.

The lifeboat was called out at 12.31am this morning (Wednesday) to assist the yacht, which was about seven miles east of Lowestoft.

The vessel was understood to have been on passage from Ijmuiden in the Netherlands when it got into difficulties.

A Lowestoft lifeboat spokesman said: 'The solo crewman on the yacht was quite exhausted and the vessel, although under sail, was becalmed in a busy shipping channel as it needed assistance.'

With the lifeboat soon on scene, a crew member went onto the yacht and connected a towline to the vessel, with Patsy Knight towing it back into Lowestoft harbour in the early hours of this morning.