A MAN and a woman were saved by a volunteer lifeboat crew after their dingy capsized off Southend Pier.

Southend’s RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew were out on exercise in Old Leigh yesterday when they were called by Thames Coastguard at 1.15pm to reports of the capsized sailing dinghy just west of the pier.

The lifeboat arrived on scene to find the two sailors in the water and having difficulty righting the vessel.

With the lifeboat crew’s assistance, the dinghy was righted and the sailors were able to continue on their way.