Firefighters fight to save sinking houseboat

By Matt White

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Firefighters pumping water out of the sinking houseboat, in Bembridge. Picture by Chris Thwaites.

FIREFIGHTERS have had to pump around 7,000 litres of seawater per minute out of a houseboat which began to sink in Bembridge Harbour this morning (Thursday).

Emergency crews were called to the houseboat Xoron at around 11am, when neighbours noticed it had started sinking as the tide came in.

Emergency crews said there was a risk the houseboat could have broken up because of the volume of water inside. 

The full extent of the damage is not yet known but the water is believed to have come in through a hole in the middle of the boat.

The owners were not on board at the time.

One pump from Ryde, one from Sandown and a high-volume pump from Newport attended the incident.

Reporter: mattw@iwcpmail.co.uk