AN RNLI crew member who was out training for the London Marathon instead ran to respond to an emergency on the water.

Volunteer Scott Harburn was out on a training run when his pager began beeping.

He ran the 1.5 miles to the lifeboat station in Mudeford and was out on the lifeboat in his dry suit within minutes.

The shout was for a late-night search, which lasted six hours.

Scott said: “Because of my work, my marathon training is mainly in the evenings. I always take my RNLI pager with me and keep to the local area in case it goes off. As an RNLI volunteer, you never know when you may be needed.”

The NHS physiotherapist has volunteered at the lifeboat station since 2020, and decided to raise money for the charity by running the marathon next April.

“I love being a part of the Mudeford RNLI volunteer crew. My godfather was a crew member for many years, and he inspired me to join,” Scott said.

“I have never undertaken anything like the London Marathon before and running is a whole new world for me. My family and friends think I’m crazy, but they know how important the RNLI is to me and are very supportive.

“With the RNLI celebrating its 200th anniversary next year, it felt the right time to do something for the charity that I love.”

Mudeford RNLI lifeboat operations manager, Steve Doe, said: “A big thank you to Scott for taking on this challenge and raising funds for the Mudeford Lifeboat Station.

“As a lifesaving charity, we depend on people's generosity and support to continue our vital work.

“We wish Scott every success and although we are always on standby 24 hours, 365 days of the year, we hope his training isn’t interrupted by any more shouts.”