RNLI reveals Channel rescue stats and new kit to save more people in seconds

Volunteers in the area saved 108 people in 2022 as charity unveils new equipment to get 20 people from water in 90 seconds

Almost a third of all people saved by lifeboat crews in the UK and Ireland last year were rescued from the Channel as they tried to cross in dinghies and other small vessels, the RNLI has revealed.

Publishing the figures for the first time, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution said its volunteers saved the lives of 108 men, women and children who were crossing in small boats.