A family were rescued on the Norfolk Broads yesterday after their hire-boat became trapped under a bridge. The hire company contacted Yarmouth Coastguard, who launched Gorlestone RNLI inshore lifeboat.

The family of four, including an 11-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl, said they had been trying to read the height of the bridge but had been unexpectedly carried under it by a strong flood tide.

The lifeboat towed the boat free of the bridge and moved it to a safe mooring.

Mario Siano, Yarmouth Coastguard watch manager, said: ‘Hire cruisers are often caught out by strong tides in the area, and becoming stuck under a bridge puts them under great strain.’