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.

• Sedbury, Chepstow 20 & 21-05-24

  At 1800 on Monday (20 May) the Coastguard asked SARA to respond to a report of a person in the water near Sedbury. We launched lifeboat SARA1 within 10 minutes and began a search of the area. We then launched SARA Lifeboat 3 and requested further assistance from our sister station at Newport who sent SARA Lifeboat14 and a full crew to assist.

  The 3 SARA lifeboats carried out several search patterns while Coastguard helicopter Rescue 187 searched overhead and HM Coastguard Chepstow officers coordinated the search and carried out bank searches. The lifeboats returned to station at 2230 as they needed refuelling and as some crew had been out searching for almost 4 hours.

  The following morning, Tuesday 21 May, theCcoastguard asked us to continue the search around the time of low water. SARA 3 was launched and made an initial search. In addition, we launched Rescue 5, our flood rescue boat as it is capable of operating in much shallower water. We were also requested to provide additional land search resources so our land team was also called out to help with the search. Rescue 5 conducted coordinated searches with Chepstow Coastguard search teams and our own SARA land team colleagues. At low water Rescue 5 then made a final pass down the River Wye. At this point the river was so low that at times the crew had to lift the engine and paddle through the shallower sections.

  Unfortunately none of our boat or land teams found anything. Our thoughts are with the family of the person we were looking for. The search is continuing.

  21st May 2024

  21st May 2024

• Caerleon 15-05-24

  SARA Newport responded to their 16th callout of the year today.

  The tasking was to assist police with an incident near Caerleon. They were stood down en route, as the incident had been resolved by on scene police officers.

  15th May 2024

  15th May 2024

• Sharpness 13-05-24

  SARA Sharpness was called out at 12:23hrs with a request from Gloucestershire Police to assist with a person stuck on the foreshore, just down river from the lifeboat station.

  Within 15 minutes, SARA Lifeboat 4 was launched with 3 crew on board and the casualty was quickly located. Crew were put ashore, where they assessed the casualty and were able to return them to station safely by boat.

  The casualty was then handed over to the waiting police, S4 was recovered, cleaned and put back in service at 13:10hrs. Thanks to everyone for a quick and efficient response.

  13th May 2024

  13th May 2024

• Beachley 09-05-24

  As crew were gathering at SARA Beachley Station for training, we were paged by the Coastguard to reports of a person in the River Severn between the 2 bridges, and waving their arms.

  SARA Lifeboat 1 was launched within 5 minutes and, due to the strong incoming tide, proceeded up river with the aim of searching back down river from an appropriate point. Other crew at Beachley station and members of HM Coastguard Chepstow maintained a watch over the river from land vantage points.

  Following an extensive search during which nothing was found, we were stood down and continued training. Most likely a false alarm with good intentions, related to the kayaker who came alongside the Beachley slipway to recover, just as we were being paged!

  9th May 2024

  9th May 2024

• Tintern 05-10-24

  We were called out around 1620, to a report of a person on rocks opposite Old Station Tintern. It was an elderly man, who had been in the river and had been pulled out by some walkers, but he was stuck below dense vegetation.

  A member of the SARA team made their way to the casualty through the steep woods. Meanwhile, other SARA personnel launched our small boat Rescue 5 at Brockweir. We supported Fire, Ambulance HART and Police to get him transported safely across the river on a fire sled to the field next to the Old Station.

  From there he was evacuated by Welsh Air Ambulance.

  5th May 2024

  5th May 2024

• Llanthony Weir (R Severn) 28-04-24

  At 2114 hrs the SARA Sharpness crew received another immediate tasking from Milford Haven Coastguard to assist with an incident on the upper stretches of the River Severn.
  A vessel on passage to the lock at Gloucester Docks had overshot the entrance and was heading towards Llanthony Weir.

  As crews responded, we received information that the incident had been resolved, and crew were stood down.

  28th Apr 2024

  28th Apr 2024

• Garden Cliff, Westbury-on-Severn 27-04-24

  At 2335hrs this evening, we received an immediate launch request from Milford Haven Coastguard to assist two people stranded on the sands of the River Severn at Garden Cliff.

  The SARA assets based at Gloucester South Fire Station were deployed alongside teams from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service and HM Coastguard Chepstow and a boat was swiftly launched to make best speed to the location. A second SARA lifeboat was put on standby at SARA Sharpness.

  As our boat approached the last known location, we received information that those involved had been recovered into the Fire Service boat safe and well.

  All crews were stood down and assets were back on station at 0135hrs.

  27th Apr 2024

  27th Apr 2024

• Chippenham 26-04-24

  The SARA land search team was requested to support Wiltshire Search & Rescue with a search near Chippenham this evening. However as our crew were en route it was reported that the missing person had been found alive and we were stood down.

  26th Apr 2024

  26th Apr 2024

• Cranham, Glos 24 & 25-04-25

  We were called out at 9pm on Wednesday (24 Apr) evening, to support Gloucestershire Constabulary with a search for a high risk missing man at Cranham, to the SE of Gloucester. Teams searched until the small hours with nothing being found.

  The search resumed the following (Thursday 25 Apr) morning, and after 4 hours of searching we were delighted when he was found alive and well by a member of the public, a little outside of our search area at that time. He was checked over by one of our SARA team doctors.

  This was a large and collaborative search, with SARA team members from our stations at Beachley, Tewkesbury, Upton, Sharpness and Cotswolds, supported by colleagues from Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group and Wiltshire Search and Rescue, and search dogs from Search and Rescue Dog Association South Wales. We had police officers integrated into some of our search parties, and the police also had a dog team, a drone team and the police helicopter deployed at times, as well as officers on foot and in cars.

  Many thanks to Cranham Scout Centre for hosting the Search Control base.

  25th Apr 2024

  25th Apr 2024

• Newport River Usk 24-04-24

  The SARA Newport crew were called out late in the evening to support police with an incident on the River Usk, with a person on the wrong side of bridge railings. The Incident was safely resolved as our boat was about to launch.

  24th Apr 2024

  24th Apr 2024