THE coxswain of the RNLI Barry Dock lifeboat was deployed to North Wales to assist with flood rescue.

Hugh 'Spud' Davies remains on standby in case of further flooding in the UK.

He was ready to deploy before Christmas, with the prospect of being involved in a rescue on Christmas Day a real possibility.

Storms passed without incident, but now the storms that have battered the UK and caused chaos in some coastal towns meant the help of the RNLI flood rescue team, of which Spud is a member, was needed.

RNLI flood rescue teams are deployed to an area in imminent danger of flooding to help evacuate people from their homes.

They take the specialist knowledge needed to handle a boat safely under very challenging conditions.

Flood rescue volunteers undertake training for such duties in addition to the training and rescue duties at their RNLI lifeboat stations.