A sophisticated crime fighting vessel will be making a short hop as she weighs up anchor next to graceful tall ships in Great Yarmouth as the town holds its annual Maritime Festival over the weekend.

A sophisticated crime fighting vessel will be making a short hop as she weighs up anchor next to graceful tall ships in Great Yarmouth as the town holds its annual Maritime Festival over the weekend.

With her advanced tracking equipment, HMC Vigilant and her 12-man crew are at the forefront of the UK Border Agency's sea patrols to combat crime, smuggling and terrorism on the North Sea.

She will be docking in Yarmouth on Saturday just in time for the celebration of Yarmouth's maritime heritage.

The HMC Vigilant's captain said he was eagerly anticipating his visit to the town and explaining his vessel's he-tech crime fighting equipment used to catch drugs smuggling and people traffickers.

Commander Colin McAuslan said: “We look forward to meeting visitors to the festival and explaining our role within the UK Border Agency.

“May people are unaware that we use sophisticated ocean going vessels such as this to tackle smuggling and gain intelligence on a daily basis.

“We have got UK waters covered and our crews work in partnership with other European law enforcers to patrol the North Sea.”

HMC Vigilant can reach speeds up of more than 25 knots and can deploy a rigid hull inflatable boat to board suspicious craft.

Keep logging on to yarmouthmercury24.co.uk for Maritime Festival updates.