THE waters around Dwyfor and Meirionnydd will be safer than ever in the coming years as £4.4m is invested in new lifeboats.

Last week, the RNLI announced Pwllheli and Barmouth RNLI lifeboat stations will each be upgraded to a state-of-the-art Shannon class all-weather lifeboat.

The £2.2m Shannon class lifeboat, which was designed to replace the Mersey and Tyne class lifeboats, is the first modern all-weather lifeboat to be propelled by waterjets instead of traditional propellers, making her the most agile and manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat yet.

Reaching top speeds of 25 knots, the Shannon is nearly 50 per cent faster than the Mersey, giving crews the ability to reach and assist casualties faster when time is of the essence.

Both Pwllheli and Barmouth Lifeboat Stations’ new Shannon class lifeboat will replace their existing Mersey class lifeboats and will operate alongside their existing D class inshore lifeboats.

In Barmouth, the new Shannon boat will sit alongside the new D Class Craig Steadman lifeboat which hundreds of people fund-raised tens of thousands of pounds for.

Both stations currently operate 17-knot Mersey class all-weather lifeboats.

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