Crew members from a County Down lifeboat service are believed to be threatening to resign over an internal dispute with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Eighteen members of the Newcastle lifeboat service are thought to be involved and have given the RNLI until the end of the week to resolve the problem.

Many members switched off their pagers temporarily at the weekend.

However, they have now gone back on duty under protest.

It is important that we understand what the nature of their complaint was and investigate that thoroughly

Colin Williams RNLI

The RNLI said there was lifeboat cover at all times and said it was confident the dispute could be settled.

Down Sinn Fein councillor Willie Clarke said there was a lot of frustration among the crew.

"The crew are really, really sad to have to do this," he said.

"A lot of them have been long (term) members and their families - going back 150 years some of them.

"It shows you that the grievances are hurting them and they're not being dealt with within the local structures."

He said hopefully negotiations would continue and led to a resolution of the problem.

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Colin Williams, the RNLI's divisional inspector of lifeboats for Ireland, said he disputed the number of people who were reportedly threatening to resign.

"We respect that they are volunteer crew members and from that point of view it is important that we understand what the nature of their complaint was and investigate that thoroughly," he said.

He said throughout the dispute the lifeboat had remained operational with a network of cover around the coastline.

The Newcastle lifeboat helped in the huge search for the missing fishing vessel, the Tullaghmurry Lass, earlier this year.

The boat disappeared on 14 February with the loss of three generations of the Greene family from Kilkeel in County Down.

The station has been established 176 years, making it one of the oldest in the United Kingdom and Ireland.