A LIFEBOAT was needed to help rescue a family whose cruiser broke down during a Bank Holiday boating trip.
After receiving an emergency call from the skipper reporting mechanical failure, Sunderland RNLI launched its inshore lifeboat, while a shore-based team was also sent to help locate the stricken vessel.
Paul Nicholson, senior helmsman at Sunderland RNLI, said: "Our initial concern was that the boat may end up running aground on Whitburn Steel, but thankfully the crew onboard managed to deploy their anchor to hold the boat in safe water until we arrived."
The lifeboat launched ten minutes later and quickly located the vessel 200m east of the southern boundary of Whitburn firing range.
The three tonne vessel and its crew of four adults and three children, all from Sunderland, were taken in tow and returned to a temporary mooring within Sunderland Marina.
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