RNLI lifeboat rescues pair who hadn’t reckoned with Thames Barrier closure
Picture: RNLI
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Two women who had taken the precaution of checking tide tables before going for a walk on Chiswick Eyot nevertheless found themselves stranded.
They were spotted by the RNLI Chiswick Lifeboat which was out on exercise on Thursday 12 Marc. They were on a fast diminishing strip of shingle which was isolated from the main part of the island by fast rising waters.
They had assumed the tide would be ebbing as indicated by the tide tables.. However the Thames Barrier had been lowered some hours before to keep out the incoming tide in order to create a reservoir for the high flows of rainwater from the Thames river basin. This means that the current is seen flowing downstream, so appears to be an outgoing tide, but the water level keeps rising as water gushes at full bore through open weirs upstream of the tidal section.
Crew members Tim Hallac and Sid Blake helped the two women on board the lifeboat. The crew checked they were unharmed (apart from damp feet) and swiftly returned them to Chiswick Pier.
RNLI helmsman Glen Monroe who has been on the crew since the station opened in 2002 said, ‘These conditions where the river appears to be going out but levels are rising are unusual but do occur every year or two after very heavy rainfall. People can be caught out walking to islands and parking cars near the river. We can always be there in minutes to stop a tricky situation becoming more serious’
Chiswick RNLI lifeboat station is the second busiest in the UK and Ireland. Since The RNLI search and rescue service on the Thames started in 2002, Chiswick Lifeboat has attended over 3,500 incidents and rescued over 1,750 people. The RNLI is entirely funded by public donations.
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March 14, 2020
