A LIFEBOAT crew helped rescue six adults and four children after two fishing vessels suffered mechanical failure at the weekend.

The operation, off Seaham Harbour, east Durham, on Sunday was one of several that kept coastguards in the region busy at the weekend.

The Coastguard said RNLI volunteers at Sunderland were alerted after an emergency call from the crew of a 25ft fishing vessel at 2pm on Sunday, reporting they were drifting having suffered engine failure two miles from shore.

As the lifeboat crew was making its way to the scene, the crew of another fishing vessel radioed that they were preparing to take the broken-down vessel under tow.

RNLI helmsman Ron Carroll said "As a precaution, we decided to escort the vessels back to Sunderland Harbour."

As the lifeboat crew was helping the vessels, it came across a 26ft fishing vessel that had suffered mechanical failure because of contaminated fuel.

The crew towed the vessel to Sunderland Marina.

Mr Carroll said the two incidents highlighted the dangers facing vessels when they went to sea.

On Sunday, volunteers with Tynemouth's inshore lifeboat went to rescue a drifting boat and its three passengers after its engine failed near St Peter's Basin, on the River Tyne, Newcastle.

After a 20-minute journey at maximum speed, the lifeboat and three volunteer crew members reached the boat and towed it to the Royal Quays Marina, North Shields, North Tyneside.

The Northern Echo reported yesterday how the Tynemouth crew also had to deal with an apparently intoxicated yacht skipper who nearly sparked a major air-and-sea rescue operation on Saturday.

The yacht was thought to be crewless when it was reported to coastguards on Saturday afternoon, after it narrowly missed several vessels. When they found the vessel, the captain was verbally abusive and unco-operative.

On the same afternoon, they were called to help the cabin cruiser Matthew, which had suffered a seized engine two miles off the coast at Tynemouth.

On Sunday, they helped the fishing boat Danny Boy, which had broken down one-and-a-half miles north-east of the Tyne piers.