THERE were red faces in the lifeboat station in Minehead over the weekend after not one, but two RNLI launching tractors got stuck in the mud and swamped by the tide.

Luckily, both vehicles were watertight and no lasting damage was done, according to RNLI divisional operations manager Nigel Jones.

The drama unfolded on Sunday when the Minehead station's launching tractor and carriage got bogged down in soft sand while recovering the Atlantic inshore lifeboat.

The vessel had been taking part in a regular training exercise and despite the best efforts of the volunteer lifeboat crew, the tractor could not be recovered before high tide.

After the water dropped, the crew used a second tractor to pull the struck tractor and carriage free, but while initial attempts were successful, the second vehicle also came a cropper and got stuck in the mud and sand.

Mr Jones said: "Lifeboats often have to be launched from difficult locations and the tractor is designed to withstand full immersion, so it was made safe, closed and sealed against the rising tide.

"At midnight at low tide a second Talus tractor was used to attempt the recovery of the launching carriage.

"This operation was successful but unfortunately it then became bogged down when trying to recover the smaller Case tractor and, with the tide flooding, had to be closed and sealed.

"Both tractors have now been recovered and the station's two lifeboats are on full service."

The station's D-class lifeboat remained in full service throughout the incident while the B-class Atlantic lifeboat was able to launch on all but the lowest of tides while the tractor units were stuck on the beach.