Lifeboat crews in Lyme Regis were kept on their toes during the annual Lifeboat Week festivities.

The annual Lifeboat Week festivities proved to be a busy time for the RNLI lifeboat crew in Lyme Regis.

The crew were called upon to answer a record eight emergency calls. These included a call to assist a 27ft yacht which had drifted onto Chesil Beach 17 miles to the east of the resort.

Another call came on Sunday when the crew was scrambled to rescue a couple cut off by the tide at Church Cliff.

Thousands turned out to enjoy the Lifeboat Week celebrations.

The chairman of the RNLI Guild, Rob Michael, said: “It seemed to go extremely well. We were extremely fortunate with the exceptional weather.

“Everything seems to have gone very smoothly.”

He said there were record crowds for the appearance of the Falcons and the Red Arrows were another popular attraction.

Mr Michael added: “All the other events were pretty much on par with last year - possibly a little down.

“It could not have been done without all the crew and volunteers in the guild.”

One of the many successful events during the week was the hot dog barbecue manned by the lifeboat crew - it is estimated that it raised more than �2,000.

Organiser, crew member Neville Causley said: “We all worked hard in the heat, but it was a great result. We are indebted to Caterfood who were very generous in supplying the products we sold for our lifeboat charity.”

It is not yet known how much money was raised during the event.