Unmooring of barge that hit bridge 'deliberate'

A large barge collided with a bridge in Hull after it became untethered in what was "highly likely" to have been a "deliberate act", a lifeboat service has said.

Humber Rescue said it had responded to reports of a vessel wedged under Stoneferry Bridge shortly after 18:15 GMT on Monday.

A spokesperson for the charity said the incident had resulted in multiple emergency services, including police and the fire service, being "tied up" for several hours, potentially diverting resources away.

It comes after emergency crews from across the region were involved in a major search and rescue operation off the East Yorkshire coast, in which two people died and a 15-year-old girl is still missing.

Humber Rescue said a crew of four had launched in sub-zero temperatures and arrived to find the barge wedged underneath the bridge.

Once the tide had dropped sufficiently, the vessel was freed and returned to its original moorings.

"As the vessel had been checked at its mooring a week or so before, it's highly likely this was a deliberate act", the spokesperson said.

"While it may seem a bit of fun at the time, please think about your actions," they added.

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