Lifeboat crew member Ed Hitchins will be ready to work on Christmas Day, just as he and his colleagues are every day of the year.

The Weston-super-Mare lifeboat station has 12 crew members who all carry pagers should there be an emergency.

"Generally at this time of the year it is quiet but we have been called out on Christmas Day in the past,"  said Ed, Weston-super Mare Coastguard station officer.

"Some people do decide to go out in their boats fishing to escape all the hustle and bustle of Christmas and some people do get into difficulty.

"The rescues don't tend to be jobs that involve a lot of crew members but we always make sure there are certain numbers of crew available from the various stations across North Somerset.

"We are hoping for a quiet festive period and would urge people going out to ensure they have the correct safety equipment.

"Also if anyone sees someone they think maybe in trouble they should ring 999."

Burnham Area Rescue Boat will also be on standby.

Spokesman Mike Lang said every crew member will have their pagers with them in case of a call out.

"We have not been called out on Christmas Day for the last few years but it has happened," he said.

"Boxing Day could be busy, however, as this is when people to start to go out again.

"When there is a shout everyone is paged and we all try to respond as quickly as possible.

"A lifeboat crew member could be in the middle of their Christmas lunch and if they get a call out they will go.

"We can launch a small D class boat in 10 minutes, which is not bad, so we are able to respond quickly.

"The bigger vessels such as the Atlantic 75 Staines Whitfield is as long as an articulated lorry, so it needs to be marshalled in and out, which takes longer.

"We could be on a shout for only 10 minutes but then we have to clean up afterwards and a wash down of the boat takes around 30 minutes."

Burnham Area Rescue Boat is a registered charity funded entirely by contributions from the public.

It operates two hovercrafts, The Spirit of Lelaina – named after five-year-old Lelaina Hall, who died on the mudflats at Berrow in 2002 – and The Light of Elizabeth, named after Lelaina's sister.

Burnham Area Rescue Boat also operates an inshore rescue boat and has run for 16 years. For more information go to www.burnham-on-sea.com/barb.