A little bit more now from Mark Tewkesbury, who was the commander of an RNLI lifeboat that almost capsized off the Hastings coast after rescuing a missing surfer on Sunday.

He tells BBC Radio 4's World At One programme: "It was very difficult to maintain any sort of control in that sort of weather."

Harnesses and seats with suspension allow the crew to "ride the waves" and "keep an element of control of the screens in front of us", he says.

He describes how the boat was twisting at angles of more than 90 degrees as the crew battled to get it back into safe waters.

"We had no control at that point, we were at the mercy of the waves," he says.

Mr Tewkesbury adds the crew is entirely made up of volunteers: he works for a bank; another owns a bike shop; whilst another works on the London Underground.

Asked why he gives up his spare time to volunteer, he says: "Because we live in a seaside town and it's nice to give something back to the community.

"I've been here for 12 or 13 years now, I wouldn't still be here if I didn't [still enjoy it].

"We will go out in any weather to ensure a casualty is safely recovered."