MORECAMBE lifeboat volunteers will be flying later this month as they test out what could be the latest life-saving craft.

The resort will welcome a new 6-seater hovercraft for two weeks of trials.

The area will be used to evaluate if a hovercraft can help the RNLI improve its performance and point out any problems with using it.

Conditions in the bay make it an ideal test-bed for the new craft. In particular, the new hovercraft makes it much easier to save lives on sand or mud flats which may be difficult for a boat to reach. The craft has already been test in Poole, Dorset and a member of the project team will bring it to Morecambe, where local volunteers will be taught how to fly it during the tests which start on July 23.

Project manager Hugh Fogarty said: "During the evaluation in Poole, we tested a standard Griffon 450TD hovercraft and tried to establish what terrains and how much training would be involved for the volunteers to operate it.

"The hovercraft showed that it could withstand damage, was easy to prepare for launch, worked well over sand and mud and crew training was comparable to that undertaken by inshore lifeboat crews.

"Its limitations, which will be further tested during these coastal trials, include its carrying capacity (maximum 450kgs), an inability to work on porous surfaces and weather restriction to a wind speed of less than 25 knots and wave height of less than 600mm (2ft)."