A yacht carrying eight people was left high and dry on sandbanks after running aground.

The Easter Monday pleasure trip came to an abrupt end when the vessel struck Cork Sands, about three miles off the Walton coastline, just after 11am.

Walton lifeboat, the coastguard's patrol plane and a pilot boat were called out to help shift the yacht, called Moonshine, to safety.

It was carrying eight people including the owner from Stowmarket, two women, four men and a boy under 16-years-old.

A spokesman for Thames Coastguard said: "The yacht was left high and dry and was getting pounded quite badly by the waves."

A pilot boat launched from Harwich towed Moonshine clear of the sandbank and to Levington Marina in the River Orwell. It was escorted by another yacht, the Demi-John, and arrived at the marina at about 2.10pm.

Another boatowner found himself in deep water yesterday (Monday) when he fell overboard.

Ipswich man Mark Stennett, 31, was rescued by a fishing boat after falling from his 19ft speedboat in the middle of the rivermouth at Harwich Harbour at about 3.30pm.

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