A pensioner had to be rescued by the coastguard after he put to sea on a dinghy to rescue a wheelie bin.
The 81-year-old, who lives on the island of Anglesey in Wales, saw his neighbour's dustbin being swept out to sea after high tides hit the coastline.
The man rowed out to sea and managed to secure the dustbin to his boat with rope.
But strong winds then took hold and the man drifted a mile out to sea, alerting the RNLI.
Call out the lifeguard! Pensioner, 81, puts to sea in rubber dinghy to recover WHEELIE BIN
By Mailonline Reporter
11th September 2010
Daily Mail
An 81-year-old man had to be rescued by lifeboat after he went out to sea on a dinghy to recover a wheelie bin.
The pensioner, who lives on the foreshore at Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey, North Wales, had spotted his neighbour's wheelie bin being swept out to sea as winds and high tides hit the coastline.
He jumped in a rubber dinghy and rowed out to sea, securing the bin to the boat with a rope line.
The lifeboat crew bring the rubber dinghy and the bin (which is almost the same size) safely back to shore
An RNLI lifeboat during a training exercise. A spokesman for the Moelfre lifeboat station said: 'The volunteer lifeboat crews at Moelfre have dealt with a wide variety of emergency calls over the years but I am sure that this is the first time we have been involved in towing in a wheelie bin.'
But then strong winds took hold and the dinghy was being blown out and drifting a mile off shore before the coastguard was alerted around 12.30am on Friday.
A lifeboat crew was scrambled from Moelfre on the island to rescue the "Good Samaritan" - along with the neighbour's wheelie bin.
He was picked up suffering from mild hypothermia and treated by an ambulance called to the shore. He was not wearing a life jacket or waterproof clothing.
His dinghy was also half full of water because of the sea conditions.
The Moelfre crew then went back out to tow in the dingy and wheelie bin, which was still half full of rubbish.
Dave Massey, the Moelfre lifeboat station spokesman, said: "Everyone at the Moelfre lifeboat station wishes the gentleman a speedy recovery.
"The volunteer lifeboat crews at Moelfre have dealt with a wide variety of emergency calls over the years but I am sure that this is the first time we have been involved in towing in a wheelie bin."
The Welsh coastline was hit by some of the highest tides of the year on Friday.
dailymail.co.uk
The 81-year-old, who lives on the island of Anglesey in Wales, saw his neighbour's dustbin being swept out to sea after high tides hit the coastline.
The man rowed out to sea and managed to secure the dustbin to his boat with rope.
But strong winds then took hold and the man drifted a mile out to sea, alerting the RNLI.
Call out the lifeguard! Pensioner, 81, puts to sea in rubber dinghy to recover WHEELIE BIN
By Mailonline Reporter
11th September 2010
Daily Mail
An 81-year-old man had to be rescued by lifeboat after he went out to sea on a dinghy to recover a wheelie bin.
The pensioner, who lives on the foreshore at Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey, North Wales, had spotted his neighbour's wheelie bin being swept out to sea as winds and high tides hit the coastline.
He jumped in a rubber dinghy and rowed out to sea, securing the bin to the boat with a rope line.
The lifeboat crew bring the rubber dinghy and the bin (which is almost the same size) safely back to shore
An RNLI lifeboat during a training exercise. A spokesman for the Moelfre lifeboat station said: 'The volunteer lifeboat crews at Moelfre have dealt with a wide variety of emergency calls over the years but I am sure that this is the first time we have been involved in towing in a wheelie bin.'
But then strong winds took hold and the dinghy was being blown out and drifting a mile off shore before the coastguard was alerted around 12.30am on Friday.
A lifeboat crew was scrambled from Moelfre on the island to rescue the "Good Samaritan" - along with the neighbour's wheelie bin.
He was picked up suffering from mild hypothermia and treated by an ambulance called to the shore. He was not wearing a life jacket or waterproof clothing.
His dinghy was also half full of water because of the sea conditions.
The Moelfre crew then went back out to tow in the dingy and wheelie bin, which was still half full of rubbish.
Dave Massey, the Moelfre lifeboat station spokesman, said: "Everyone at the Moelfre lifeboat station wishes the gentleman a speedy recovery.
"The volunteer lifeboat crews at Moelfre have dealt with a wide variety of emergency calls over the years but I am sure that this is the first time we have been involved in towing in a wheelie bin."
The Welsh coastline was hit by some of the highest tides of the year on Friday.
dailymail.co.uk
