COASTGUARDS called off an extensive air and sea search off the North Norfolk coast last night after the source of a faint distress signal could not be found.
COASTGUARDS called off an extensive air and sea search off the North Norfolk coast last night after the source of a faint distress signal could not be found.
Lifeboat crews from Wells and Sheringham launched shortly after 2.30pm in response to a fragmented radio transmission picked up by Yarmouth coastguards.
They were joined by a Sea King helicopter from RAF Wattisham to search for a boat which was thought to be taking in water near Blakeney Overfalls, about five miles north of Blakeney.
Coastguards took a triangular fix from the radio signal to give the lifeboats a boxed search area.
But, in near-perfect search conditions, nothing was found and the search was called off at 5pm following inshore searches and calls to police and nearby harbours.
Rescue teams said the message could have been a freak transmission from elsewhere in the country, or a non-emergency broadcast from a vessel which was able to continue its journey.
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