SOLENT Coastguards have renewed their warnings to people who go to sea in boats without checking that their engines are in good order.

The call comes after a hectic weekend of rescues throughout the Solent and Isle of Wight areas.

Most of the Solent's 15 RNLI and independent rescue boats had calls to deal with on a weekend already busy because of Saturday's Round the Island Race. But the calls continued to roll in yesterday and Solent Coastguard officer Michael Barnes said: "We are trying to drive home the importance of having engines in good order before people put to sea.

"This year, there have been a considerable number of calls which were caused because people went out without checking their engines. Going out in a boat isn't like going out in a car where you can just wait at the side of a road if you have a breakdown. There is also the aspect that the weather can worsen and the sea can get rough when a boat is on the water without power.

"So we are telling people that before they set off, they should check their wengine and know what to do in the event of a breakdown."