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.

• Sandhurst Lane, Gloucester 29-11-24

  This morning, the Sharpness SRT crew received a request to assist a resident of Sandhurst Lane in Gloucester with leaving their property which was surrounded by flood water.
  SARA Mobile 7 was deployed with two SRT crew, both of which are also off-road qualified drivers to collect the resident from their property and transfer them through the flood water to onward transport.
  With the tasking complete, crew were back on station at 1445hrs.

  29th Nov 2024

  29th Nov 2024

• Storm Bert Floods 24-11-24

  On Sun 24 Nov, as a result of Storm Bert, the River Monnow rose dramatically and around midday exceeded its highest previously recorded level at Grosmont. Shortly thereafter South Wales Fire & Rescue Service called us for support. This became a long evening of very effective multi-agency working.

  Flood teams from each of SARA Newport and Beachley made their way initially to Monmouth Fire Station, from where operations were being controlled. The SARA Newport team was then deployed to Skenfrith, which was flooding badly. Using their inflatable sled they evacuated 16 people and a dog from properties in Skenfrith.

  Once complete, they were tasked to assistant the Ambulance Service & Longtown MRT accessing a patient for medical assessment, before evacuating the patient and a further 10 people from a property. Whilst the SARA team were making way through the pitch black and flooded country lane, they came across a minibus with its driver stranded on its bonnet. The team split up; one part proceeding to the original tasking and the other assisting the driver to a place of safety. The second part then joined the other at the target property originally targetted, where the Fire Service had arrived to help. All agencies worked together to bring this incident to a swift close.

  The Newport team were then requested to report back to Monmouth for a further tasking but were stood down en-route.

  Meanwhile the SARA Beachley Flood Team was teamed up with a fire service team, and sent to Rockfield village to check on residents. Everyone there was found to be safe but water in the Monnow was rising very quickly and overtopping the banks. They moved onto second property at Monnow Valley studios, where river water was coming through the drains. The occupants were using their own pump to try and combat it. FRS supplied an additional pump and called for a further one. FRS returned to Rockfield to pick up residents at the bridge as the bridge was in danger of being washed away. The SARA team rejoined the Fire team to return to Monmouth Fire Station, however their way (Rockfield Road) was impassable by this time so they had to return via Abergavenny, arriving back in Monmouth around 1900.

  By then another SARA flood team, comprising members of SARA Beachley and Tewkesbury, had assembled. They took the powered boat Rescue Boat 5 to Osbaston, and deployed along with a firefighter to evacuate a lady from a house on Forge Road, very close to the now raging River Monnow.

  In the next phase, the original SARA Beachley Team, with 2 extra crew from SARA Tewkesbury, were sent to check on occupants of Monmouth Caravan Park, not far from the Fire Station. All were well but 2 people wanted to be evacuated. A water team from Longtown Mountain Rescue assisted to get the pair over the flood water. Then the SARA team, with its inflatable sled, was sent to transport a food delivery in the Rockfield Road area, following which they use the sled to moved a number of local residents over the flooded section of Rockfield Rd at the junction with Watery Lane. At the same time, the team with Rescue 5 was transporting residents along Watery Lane so that they could get home; Watery Lane was deep enough that the engine could be used for about 300m.

  A fourth SARA flood team from SARA Sharpness was also called in. Arriving around 1900, they conducted welfare checks on residents along Hadnock Rd, close to the Wye, which had also flooded.

  South Wales Fire Service provided copious qualities of very welcome pizza when teams returned back to Monmouth Fire Station, and the volunteer teams were stood down from Monmouth around 2130.

  The flood teams from SARA Sharpness and SARA Tewkesbury were then tasked to Yate, in South Gloucestershire, which was badly flooded. Again they conducted welfare checks on flooded households in Yate and the surrounding area, at times using a powered boat on flooded lanes. Some of the team members involved did not get home until 0430 on Monday morning.

  SARA volunteers spend a lot of time training in flood rescue, as technicians and as boat operators, and we have our own R3 instructors for both areas who help to maintain the standards. The recent flood rescue training at Cardiff White Water Centre paid dividends, with familiar faces from other agencies being recognised at Monmouth as well as skills recently refreshed. Many thanks to all concerned for a successful evening.

  24th Nov 2024

  24th Nov 2024

• River Wye Chepstow 15 & 16-11-24

  On Friday afternoon (15 Nov) Gwent Police asked for our assistance in a search on the River Wye for a high risk vulnerable male who was missing from home. We launched SARA Lifeboats 1 and 3 in response. After extensive searches of the river, the lifeboats were stood down just after 19.00.
  On Saturday (16 Nov) SARA Lifeboat 3 was launched at 0900 to continue the search of the River Wye at mid to low tide, and on the River Severn as far as the POW Bridge.

  Later in the morning, Rescue Boat 5 was launched at Bigsweir to conduct a low water search of the Wye all the way down to the mouth. Chepstow and Portishead Coastguard Rescue Teams conducted shoreline searches including with their drones.

  Nothing was found in any of the searches, which were stood down in the late afternoon. Our thoughts are with the missing person and their family.

  16th Nov 2024

  16th Nov 2024

• Fairford 01-11-24

  The Land Search Team was called out to Fairford by Gloucestershire Police shortly after 9am, on reports of a high risk missing person who had disappeared during the night. Fortunately she was found safe and well by the Police whilst teams were starting to deploy, and we were stood down before 10am.

  1st Nov 2024

  1st Nov 2024

• Hatherley, Cheltenham 30-10-24

  The land team were called out by Gloucestershire Police at 1230, to reports of a high risk missing teenager in the Hatherley area of Cheltenham.

  Thankfully she was found safe around 1300 and the SARA teams were stood down.

  30th Oct 2024

  30th Oct 2024

• Beachley 28-10-24 (again)

  A couple of hours after rescuing a motor cruiser, around 7pm, the Beachley lifeboat crew were tasked to stand by, whilst Gwent Police attended a vulnerable person on the M48 Severn Bridge.
  We stood by, ready to launch, until stood down by the police around 9.30pm.

  28th Oct 2024

  28th Oct 2024

• Beachley 28-10-24

  The SARA Beachley Lifeboat crew were called out around 4pm. A 22ft motor cruiser had. engine failure and was adrift under the M48 Severn Bridge heading moving towards Lydney, and was concerned that it was too deep to anchor.
  She was taken under tow by SARA Lifeboat 1 and taken back to Beachley, where she was handed over to HM Coastguard Chepstow.

  28th Oct 2024

  28th Oct 2024

• Brockworth 26 & 27-10-24

  We were called out by Gloucestershire Police on Sat morning 26 Oct. We were stood down with nothing found.
  The. search was resumed on Sun 27 Oct. As teams were assembling the missing lady was found by the Police some distance away. One of our paramedic members went and assisted the police until an ambulance arrived,

  27th Oct 2024

  27th Oct 2024

• Beachley River Wye 16-09-24 (sheep)

  Shortly after 1800 SARA Lifeboat 3 was launched to the River Wye. A sheep was stuck in the mud and there was concern that people may endanger themselves trying to rescue it. Sadly by the time SARA 3 arrived the sheep was deceased. The crew moved it to an area of the bank where the farmer could retrieve it.

  16th Oct 2024

  16th Oct 2024

• Quarry Bank, Brierley Hill 10-10-24

  We were called out by West Midlands Police to assist with a missing person in the area of Quarry Bank, Brierley Hill, along with Staffordshire Search and Rescue. SARA WF team members responded and conducted an initial search, together with members of Staffs SAR; towards the end of this search the missing person was located safe and well by a member of the public in an area close by. She was checked over by a Staffs SAR Cas Carer in our team, and then taken to hospital.

  10th Oct 2024

  10th Oct 2024