'Drunken idiots' run boat out of fuel then dial 999

TWO men who had to be rescued by the lifeboat yesterday morning were 'drunken idiots' whose actions were disgraceful, the harbour master said.

The unnamed pair were travelling on board the local boat Sandpiper from Sark to Guernsey at around midnight when they used a mobile phone to call 999.

Captain Peter Gill said the men were lost, out of fuel and nowhere near where they should have been.

It took the lifeboat more than four hours to find them and tow them to safety - the rescue cost around £1,440 in fuel alone.

'They ran out of petrol because one would not let the other take over steering,' Capt. Gill said. 'They were both drunk and, in fact, one was passed out drunk at one point. They didn't have a radio on board - they were a complete pair of idiots.'