A WATER rescue boat has been donated to volunteers who helped evacuate residents from their homes during the dramatic Boxing Day floods.

The image of Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team wading through flood water to transport residents from deluged homes in central York, was one of the prevailing images of the Boxing Day floods which hit the city. Now the small raft they used to pull people and their pets to safety is due to be replaced, following a generous donation.

Pickering and District Rotary Club has funded a specialist water rescue craft, capable of carrying eight people, or a crew of four to six water rescue volunteers from the team. As well as carrying more people, it will also allow the team to paddle out into deeper water.

The team regularly attends rescues and searches at Malton and Norton, Pickering, Whitby, York, the Yorkshire coast and Selby.

Ian Hugill, from Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team, said in addition for being used to help during floods in residential areas, the boat will also be used in more common search and rescue incidents.

“While the majority of our search and rescue tasking are land based some 20 per cent involve working in or around water,” he said.

“With at least 15 rivers flowing through the area we serve, as well as canals and areas of standing water, there is plenty of scope to deploy the new craft."

The small, inflatable rescue raft used to help evacuate residents in York had, by chance, only been unpacked two days before the floods hit the historic city.

“We got the raft two days before the York floods and we bought 200 people out on it," said Mr Hugill.

"We had long planned to get a boat - we had hoped to get some grants to purchase one - but we bit the bullet and bought that one. It arrived two days before Christmas, it couldn’t have arrived at a better time.

“But we were limited in that we had to wade through contaminated flood water with it. This new boat will allow us to paddle into floods and work deeper out.”

He added: “The whole team wish to thank Pickering and District Rotary Club for such a kind donation which has the potential to help so many residents of our area.”

Pickering Rotary Club will be formally handing over the boat to the rescue team on the River Ouse in York on January 19.

The group, made up of volunteers, is continually fundraising to replace equipment. For more information, or to donate, visit: www.srmrt.org.uk/news/a-gift-from-pickering-and-district-rotary-club/