A COUPLE were rescued by lifeboat station volunteers after their yacht sank in East Yorkshire.

The 26-ft vessel hit the Whitton Lightfloat in the River Humber near Broomfleet and Brough at about 12.55pm on Wednesday and quickly went down.

Humber Rescue crew members were alerted and the Hillary P Berriff rescue boat was launched. It arrived within minutes but the yacht had already sank. The couple, from Pontefract, were found clinging to the light float, in shock but safe and well. 

They were taken to shore and checked by paramedics. 

Crew member Jon Wray said; "Incidents of this nature show the value of volunteer emergency workers. Although we all have jobs to do our pride in Humber Rescue drives us forward as a team when a call for help comes in."

The yacht was later recovered from the river and beached at Hessle Foreshore. 

A sopkesman for the lifeboat team said: "The couple on the boat were astonished at the speed in which their yacht went down - it only took seconds.  Thankfully they both were wearing lifejackets and knew what to do in an emergency.

"As the Easter weekend approaches and people take to the waterways Humber Rescue and the HM Coastguard cannot emphasise enough the importance of safety. People must ensure they know the rules of the waterways, their vessels are properly maintained and they must use kill cord, lifejackets, and any other safety equipment.  Have a good time but stay safe."