A FISHING boat unable to find the entrance to Hartlepool Marina in thick fog today (Thursday, December 13) was escorted to safety by the town's lifeboat.

The skipper of the 28ft vessel rang a friend in Hartlepool and asked him to alert the lifeboat station at 1.50pm.

The volunteers were told: "My friend has tied up on a red buoy because he cannot find the entrance to Hartlepool Marina because of the thick fog."

All weather lifeboat Betty Huntbatch launched and found the fishing boat just 400 yards from the lifeboat station, tied to a red buoy, at the entrance to the channel leading to the Deep Water berth.

Gary Waugh, Mechanic at Hartlepool RNLI said ‘This must be the shortest distance we have ever travelled to a rescue!