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.

• 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

• Kempsey 15-04-24

  SARA was called out around midday to support West Mercia Police with the search for a missing man near Kempsey. Land search teams from SARA Stations at Tewkesbury, Wyre Forest, Cotswolds and Beachley all searched through until about 10pm, with a bit team from SARA Sharpness also searching the River Severn. Eventually the teams were stood down with nothing having been found.

  Sadly the body of a man was found in the river the following day.

  15th Apr 2024

  15th Apr 2024

• Newport 07-04-24

  The SARA Newport Lifeboat was called out late in the evening. A large object was drifting in the river, reported to be an unmanned vessel. Upon arrival it was found to be a very large and damaged pontoon, that had worked itself loose during the weekends high tides.
  The crew towed the pontoon to a place of safety and passed its position to the Police & Coastguard.

  7th Apr 2024

  7th Apr 2024

• Swindon 06-04-24

  This morning SARA responded to a request for mutual support from Wiltshire Search and Rescue, to search for a high risk missing person in Swindon. Team members from SARA stations at Beachley, Cotswolds, Tewkesbury attended, accompanied by colleagues from Lowland Rescue Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group.

  Areas of woodland were searched in coordination with Wiltshire Police, but with nothing found the teams were stood down in mid-afternoon. The police operation remains ongoing.

  Many thanks to all who responded.

  6th Apr 2024

  6th Apr 2024