RNLI volunteers from Gwynedd and Anglesey have been drafted in to help victims of the Cumbrian floods.
Volunteers from Beaumaris and Moelfre lifeboat crews were part of the RNLI Flood Rescue team from North Wales that helped out in Cockermouth last week to rescue some of the areas worst affected by flooding.
The volunteers braved horrendous conditions to rescue people from their homes and from waters surging down streets at up to 25 knots.
Simon Bunting, from RNLI Beaumaris, said: “Driving boats up high streets is a bit out of the norm but we are all trained for swift water rescue.
‘We are all volunteers but the training we receive from the charity prepares us for just this situation.”
The teams said that the flood water was so high in places they were rescuing people from first floor windows, including some very young children and elderly people, and taking them to safety.
Police said water levels in Cockermouth town centre had reached more than 8ft and that the RNLI’s lifeboats were incredibly useful as there engines were strong enough to cope with the speed of the water.
Mr Bunting added: “Nothing under 40 horse power could go out that morning so we were a valuable asset working alongside other search and rescue organisations.”
The lifeboat charity's Flood Rescue Team is operating in Cockermouth and Keswick, rescuing people from flooded properties and assisting power workers reach electricity sub-stations.
The team returned home after working through the night to rescue more than 300 people with other voluntary groups from across the UK.