It has been a busy time recently for the Port Isaac RNLI crew, including responding to an incident in which a dog had gone over the cliffs.

Port Isaac D-class Copeland Bell was tasked at 7.45pm on June 10 to reports of three people on an inflatable, to the right side of Port Gaverne, one in the water and potentially in trouble.

The lifeboat was launched within four minutes of being paged and was on scene within 60 seconds. It quickly became clear that the call had been a false alarm with good intent and it was three spear fisherman towing swim flags and utility boards. No assistance was required.

The shout was called in by local children and the team would like to reiterate that it was a really responsible thing to do.

The crew would rather respond and make sure all is okay than not receive a call when someone really does require assistance. If ever in doubt call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

The lifeboat was also tasked at 5.48pm on June 22 to reports of a spear fisherman who was 20 minutes overdue returning to shore. His partner was concerned when he had failed to return to the car at the agreed time.

The boat launched and made headway to Port Gaverne, en route they spoke with kayakers who confirmed they had seen a snorkeler matching the description making their way back towards Port Gaverne — the same reports were confirmed with some children at Tags Pit.

A crew member was put ashore and made contact with the spear fisherman who was safe. It was deemed to be a false alarm with good intent and the boat returned and was readied for service.

The volunteer crew just had time to rest and return to their day jobs before the pager sounded again, this time at 12.19pm on June 23 to a dog over the cliff at Backways Cove. Sadly the dog did not survive the fall.

Crew were able to recover the body to return to the owners at Trebarwith Strand. All at Port Issac RNLI send their condolences to the owners.

Here is the advice from the RNLI when walking a dog near a cliff edge. It’s important owners keep themselves safe when walking a dog. Please remember:

• Keep a dog on a lead if close to cliff edges or fast flowing rivers.

• If a dog goes into the water or gets stuck in mud, don’t go after them. Move to a place they can get to safely and call them — many dogs get out by themselves.

• If worried about a dog, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.