TWO Barry lifeboat crew have teamed up with fellow RNLI flood rescue volunteers to help out in the devastated West Country.

Hugh 'Spud' Davies and Marc Gibbons drove to Taunton on Saturday (February 15), and will stay in the area as the storms continue to batter the UK.

The Taunton-based crew will travel from there to wherever the floods pose a risk to life and use the skills they have learned and practiced to save lives at sea to help those people affected most by the extreme weather.

The RNLI flood rescue team was introduced following the RNLI’s involvement with the Mozambique floods of February 2000.

A team of eight, with six RNLI inflatable lifeboats were deployed and provided humanitarian aid to some 10,000 people.

Volunteer team member Marc Gibbons said: “I'm pleased to be able to help flood victims. The skills I have learned as a lifeboat crew member have been useful, but the extra training I have had will help me stay safe in the fast water conditions that we are likely to see during the rescue.”