JERSEY’S lifeboats have had one of the busiest years on record after months of bad weather caused a surge in call-outs.

Crews have been dispatched 42 times so far this year – compared to just 38 in the whole of 2007.

And the number of emergency calls has rocketed in the last few weeks after a series of storms caught sailors by surprise.

Jonathan Lee, of the RNLI St Helier, said: ‘I think the high number of call-outs is due to a combination of bad weather and more people going out on their boats.

‘We had nice weather at the start of the summer but the recent storms seem to have caught people by surprise.
‘We are pleased however that more people are contacting us when they get into trouble. It is important that people contact us as soon as possible when they realise they are in difficulty.’

Of the 42 calls, 30 were completed by the RNLI crews and the remaining 12 were either cancelled or dealt with by a passing boat.