Southend-on-Sea’s hovercraft crew had a busy day on 23 May.

Their first job, with the local Coastguard team, was to search an area of low water for an unexploded mine. They found it, marked it with a buoy and informed a bomb disposal team. In the afternoon, the crew picked up two people in danger of being cut off by the tide. Later, the hovercraft was out again, freeing six people who had got stuck in mud. They were treated for cuts and bruises.