YORK Rescue Boat says October was one of its volunteers’ busiest ever months, dealing with 12 incidents on the city’s rivers - ranging from a fatality and rescues to a sinking boat and a drifting pontoon.

Members of the on-call team were called from their beds three times to deal with incidents in the early hours, said training manager David Wilson.

“Our volunteers are not paid, they willingly give up their time to help others in need,” he said.

“The incidents can be mentally and physically strenuous, the team work together to get someone in need from a bad place to a better place and then pass them to external agencies where applicable or work to get closure for families if the worst happens.”

Mr Wilson spoke out yesterday after a hectic week in which the boat was called out first when a body was recovered from the River Ouse near Lendal Bridge last Saturday, and then when four people were at risk in incidents over two nights in or near the Ouse and Foss.

He said: “The incidents attended have been as varied as the times they occurred and have included a sinking boat, a medical incident, various concerns for safety (alcohol and mental health), a land and river based search, one fatality attended and three reports of persons in the water.

“When the phone alerts go off our team never know what is in store for them, only that someone is in difficulty and needs help.

“The River Ouse has been in flood quite a bit this month and this adds more complexity to operational shifts and incidents.”

He said the volunteers served eight operational shifts in October, working every Friday and Saturday night, and clocked up 829 volunteer hours, including training sessions and fundraising events.