IT was a busy weekend for Hartlepool RNLI volunteer crew members when they were called to four incidents over the Bank holiday.

They were called out on Sunday at 3.55pm when a 33 foot fishing boat had suffered gearbox failure at the entrance to Hartlepool dock’s deep water berth.

The inshore lifeboat was quickly on scene and attached a rope to the stricken vessel and towed it into Hartlepool Marina.

The following morning, the pagers went off at 7.22am with a request from HM Coastguard when a woman was injured on cliffs at Becketts Bank near Castle Eden Dene, six miles north of Hartlepool.

The woman was put on the spinal board and onto the inshore lifeboat and transferred to the all weather lifeboat for a more comfortable ride to the roll on roll off berth at Hartlepool docks.

She was then transferred to a waiting ambulance and taken to the University Hospital of North Tees at 8.40am.

The pagers went again at 11.04am when a request for assistance was received from a 45 foot pleasure fishing boat, with four people on board.

The boat had motored through some lobster pot lines and had got ropes caught around her propeller six miles off Hartlepool. The vessel was towed back to Hartlepool Fish Quay.

The final incident involved a 23-foot yacht with one person on board run aground just inside No 6 buoy at the end of the Banjo Pier.

When the lifeboat arrived on scene the yacht had managed to refloat herself and the yacht was escorted to Kafiga Landings at Hartlepool dock.