Local business are tonight (Sunday) assisting a houseboat owner with pumping out tens of thousands of litres of water after the boat sunk earlier on today.
Ryde Inshore Rescue were tasked by Solent Coastguard at around 12:30 to investigate reports of a houseboat that was sinking on Wootton Creek.
When Ryde Rescue 1 arrived on scene it was discovered that the boat had already sunk and that the owner was on board having found a problem with his pumps.
As there was nothing that could be done at the time and with everything safe, the crew decided that they would return at low water to assist the owner to try and pump the flooded houseboat out.
Thanks to the kindness of HSS Hire and Fishbourne-based Rebel Marine, over 51,000 litres of water has already been pumped out of the vessel at low tide.
Equipment such as lighting and pumps has been kindly donated, as well as vital manpower.
