TWO crewmen were injured after their yacht got into difficulties at Southwold Harbour yesterday - capping a busy weekend for coastguards.

The drama unfolded around 10.40am when the boat crashed into the harbour wall, throwing the duo into the water.

A lifeboat was scrambled to rescue the pair but they had made ashore by the time it arrived.

One man suffered deep cuts to his head while the other was treated for suspected broken ribs. Both were taken to James Paget Hospital but an ambulance spokeswoman said neither of their injuries were life-threatening.

Thames Coastguard reported a dramatic jump in emergency calls over the weekend - a trend they say could be down to the fine weather and people staying at home to watch the Olympics.

A spokeswoman said: “We have been very busy both on Saturday and Sunday.

“Lots of the incidents have been with missing children - we’d ask parents watch their children especially when they go into the water.

“The incidents this weekend I think have gone up three-fold - we don’t know whether people were in watching the Olympics last week and decided to come out this weekend because of the excellent weather.”

The spike came at the climax of Aldeburgh Lifeboat Week, which raises awareness and vital funds to keep the service going. An open day was held on Saturday, which included a display of the lifeboats and tours of the vessels.

But no sooner had the boats been cleaned and put away, they were called out to reports of a yacht running aground at the mouth of the River Alde, south of Aldeburgh. The 37-foot vessel was stuck in mud and the crew were struggling to release it because of high winds. However they eventually freed the yacht as lifeboats crews were en route to help them.

Karl Barber, second coxswain at Aldeburgh Lifeboat Station, said the last week had been important in raising awareness of the service. “It’s not just raising awareness at Aldeburgh, it’s all over the country,” he added. “It’s important people know about what we do. At the end of the day it’s done through voluntary contributions and legacies.”