LIFEBOAT crews rescued two people after a small electrical fire started in their yacht when it was moored off Walton-on-the-Naze.The electrical fire, in Titchmarsh Marina, started at around 7.

LIFEBOAT crews rescued two people after a small electrical fire started in their yacht when it was moored off Walton-on-the-Naze.

The electrical fire, in Titchmarsh Marina, started at around 7.30pm on Saturday and is thought to have been caused by a fault in the yacht's battery.

The man and the woman, both believed to be in their 40s, were rescued from the 36ft vessel, named Naylor, by crews from the Harwich Inshore Lifeboat and Walton-on-the-Naze Coastguard.

The couple, from Turpins Lane, Kirby Cross, were taken ashore and treated for smoke inhalation by paramedics, although they were not taken to hospital.

It is thought they had been returning to the marina when the smoke alarm on their yacht sounded. It is then that they spotted the flames and called for assistance.

Two fire engines from Frinton attended the blaze and were able to access the vessel from the land.

The majority of the flames were put out before the crews arrived, although two breathing apparatus wearers used one hose reel to damp down the yacht.

It is thought the flames have written off the yacht.