A NEW Quay lifeboatman was forced to make a desperate leap aboard a runaway rib and steer it to safety as it headed straight towards a beach packed with bank holiday bathers on Sunday, it has emerged.

Simon Rigby and colleague Brett Stones have been praised for averting “a potentially life-threatening­ incident” after the rib’s occupant had fallen overboard without a kill cord to switch off the engine.

The pair were aboard New Quay’s inshore lifeboat following reports of a four-metre rib careering around in the sea off Penbryn Beach with no-one on board.

The rib was quickly located and as Simon and Brett assessed the situation, they realised to their horror that the rib had straightened out and was heading directly for the beach.

With no time to lose Brett rammed the lifeboat into the rib, allowing Simon to jump aboard to control the vessel, avoiding the chance of it endangering the lives of swimmers in the water or people on the beach.

The rib was then landed on the sand and returned to its grateful occupant.

“It was quite an adrenaline-fuelled few minutes,” Brett, 39, told the Cambrian News afterwards. “I’ve seen videos of out-of-control boats on the internet and always wondered how I would react in such circumstances.

“The truth of the matter is you barely have time to think – another few seconds and that rib would have been on the beach."

Watch the video below and read the full story in this week’s South Ceredigion or Cardigan & Newcastle Emlyn editions, on sale now