Emergency services were called out this morning after a fishing boat had to be beached.

The boat was deliberately brought aground at Harrington harbour after running into difficulties with its propeller.

Ged Doran, harbourmaster, said: "They thought there was a rope around the propeller. So the skipper thought he'd beach it until the tide went out. Then they found it was problems with the gear box, which they have fixed now. They beached it deliberately, it was the sensible thing to do."

The Silver Stream fishing boat is thought to be owned by a Maryport man and the crew had been fishing for whelks during the night.

Ged said: "They will wait for two or three hours until the tide will lift it and then they will sail back to Maryport.

"I checked with them and they are all ok and have food and water. It was a nautical problem not a police problem."

A spokesman for the coastguard said: "At just after 7.35am (November 19), HM Coastguard had a report that a fishing vessel had run aground close to Harrington Pier, near Workington.

"At the time of the report it was not known if there were any people on board. Coastguard rescue teams from Whitehaven and Maryport and the Workington RNLI lifeboat were sent to find the vessel plus any people on board. Cumbria police were also sent.

"Two people were on board and an earlier mechanical failure had been fixed. The vessel is currently waiting for the next tide to refloat."