For the past 72 hours, The Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) spent the weekend back-filling the South Wales Fire Service by providing all first response boat and inland water rescue cover for South Wales.

The Fire Service had requested their support, along with that of fire services from across England and of other volunteer organisations, as they were hugely stretched dealing with the extensive and persistent wildfires.

A spokesman for SARA said: “This has been a magnificent cross-station effort, in which boat teams from SARA stations at Newport, Beachley, Sharpness and Tewkesbury, supported by colleagues from SARA Cotswolds and Upton, have been based at Cardiff Gate Fire Station. SARA has had one, often two, boat teams available on site from 5pm Thursday through until being stood down at 7pm Sunday, Aug 16.

“This has released firefighters to deal with the many wildfire incidents across South Wales, whilst maintaining the statutory requirement to respond to rescue calls. During this time the teams responded to reports of one person in the water in Cardiff and another in Newport; both were resolved with everyone safe.”

The Chepstow-based crews also had a callout to kayakers in Chepstow on Sunday, following on from injured climbers last Tuesday and the previous Sunday, and supported a missing person search in Gloucester last Saturday.