Three Suffolk RNLI lifeboats were called into action on Saturday after a motor cruiser off Orford sent out a mayday call reporting an engine fire on board.

Aldeburgh and Lowestoft All Weather Lifeboats were having a break at Southwold lifeboat station - after taking part in a mock rescue demonstration for the town’s lifeboat day - when they were called to go to the aid of the motor cruiser off Orford.

Lifeboat coxswain John Fox said; “We had just enjoyed a fish and chip meal with our fellow crewmen when at 1pm the Aldeburgh crew’s pagers sounded an alert.

“Aldeburgh’s inshore lifeboat ‘Christine’ was immediately launched from its home base while Humber Coastguard tasked the two all weather lifeboats to head from Southwold to the incident.”

Mr Fox added: “In our new, faster Shannon-class lifeboat ‘Patsy Knight’ it took us less than thirty minutes to reach the vessel in distress which was one and a half miles off Orford Light.

“When we arrived our colleagues in the inshore lifeboat were already on scene and they were making sure that the two crew and their two dogs on board the boat, an 11 metre motor cruiser name ‘Jodi’, were OK.

“There was an electrical burning smell and the engine room hatch was very hot. The cruiser’s crew wanted to keep the hatch closed to starve any fire of oxygen and to be taken to the nearest quayside where the cause could be investigated fully.

“We attached a line and began towing the cruiser towards the River Alde before passing the line to the Aldeburgh’s Mersey-Class lifeboat ‘Freddie Cooper’ to complete the mission.”

Aldeburgh’s Second Coxswain Karl Barber said: “We towed the boat to Orford Quay, where the fire service were waiting to check over the vessel.

“Fortunately all was OK. We finally got back to Aldeburgh at approximately 5pm.”