A member of the public had to be winched to safety by the coastguard rescue helicopter after getting into difficulty in the River Neath. Volunteer rescuers from RNLI Port Talbot "dropped everything" when they were alerted to a person in the water - who had been "cut off by the tide" on the sandbank on the Swansea side of the River Neath on the afternoon of Saturday, October 22 - and immediately raced to the scene.
The team launched their inshore D-Class lifeboat and soon called for assistance from the Coastguard rescue helicopter, which was luckily on-exercise in the area. Coastguard rescuers assisted RNLI volunteers and "winched the casualty to safety from the increasing incoming tide".
A spokesperson for RNLI Port Talbot explained: "RNLI Port Talbot volunteer crew were tasked by her Majesty's Coastgaurd Milford Haven at 2.24pm to go to the aid of a person in the water who was cut off by the tide on the sandbank, Swansea side of the river Neath." Want the latest Neath Port Talbot news straight to your inbox? We send our email subscribers a newsletter twice per week with the latest news from the region. Sign up here
