Russian sailors rescued from deserted island near Wales after taking wrong turn on drunken dinghy ride

Three Russian sailors had to be rescued from an island off the coast of Wales after going on a drinking trip in a dinghy and getting lost on the way back to their ship.

The trio set off from their Dutch-registered cargo coaster Alana Evita which was anchored two miles off the coast of Minehead, Somerset.

They successfully navigated eight miles of the Bristol Channel and made their way to Barry in South Wales - the resort made famous by the hit TV sitcom Gavin And Stacey.

After a drinking session, the Russians attempted the return journey back to base, but got lost in the fog and ended up on the tiny island of Flat Holm, occupied by one lighthouse, a couple of outbuildings and a farmhouse.

A major search and rescue operation was sparked after the men were reported missing from the cargo ship, and five lifeboats from Minehead, Burnham-on-Sea, Barry Dock and Penarth were launched, together with a Coastguard helicopter.

They left the ship on Wednesday night - launching the vessel's 13ft (4m) rigid inflatable boat - to go drinking. They left the resort at 3.45am but the alarm was raised when they had not returned to their ship by 7am.

Volunteers from Penarth RNLI assessed the stranded sailors and a spokeswoman said: "The three had attempted to make their way back from Barry to Minehead but got lost in foggy conditions in the channel.

"The sailors were found safe but very cold on Flat Holm Island at around 8:30am by Penarth RNLI volunteers. After being assessed by the RNLI volunteers the Coastguard 187 helicopter landed on the island to further assess the casualties but it was decided they were well enough to return to land by lifeboat."