Coastguard bosses on the Marsh have praised the safety measures two fishermen took on board before setting sail, after they got into difficulty at sea over the bank holiday weekend.

Volunteers from the RNLI Littlestone lifeboat crew were paged just after 12.15pm on Sunday (May 27) afternoon to assist the people in trouble after they suffered with engine failure and couldn't get their boat started.

Lifeboat crews assembled to help the fishers onboard a small, white vessel at 12.30pm.

The pair were unable to see any other boats around them to confidently radio for help, so called 999 to be put straight through to the coastguard.

The boat was located 4.5 miles from Dymchurch and six miles off Dungeness, which was noted to be seven nautical miles from the Littlestone station - a unit used to measure distances at sea, with one mile being equal to approximately 2,025 yards.

Both fishers were wearing life jackets and the vessel was quickly found and towed back to the station.

Crews and those on board were also met by Dungeness coastguard crews who assisted with landing the ship.

The rescue was successfully completed at around 2.30pm.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "They did exactly the right thing to call us right away.

"We were able to send help really quickly, and they had life jackets on.

"They took their safety really seriously.

"They did all of the right things and it was a good ending."

The coastguard agency also praised their practical measures by having both a radio and fully charged mobile phone on board.

The incident happened in the same week as the launch of this year's of the RNLI Respect the Water campaign, which strives to educate people on how stay afloat and not drown.

The advice is anyone who finds themselves in trouble in the water to stay calm and float, and to share this lifesaving knowledge with others.

The charity said last year seven people who got into trouble in the water claimed floating helped save their lives.

The initiative will run throughout the summer.

If you find yourself in trouble in the water, in an emergency, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.