Eight people - including children - have been rescued by lifeboat crews after running aground on a notorious sandbank off the coast of Southampton.

The group were stranded when their inflatable craft ran aground at Bramble Bank at the entrance to Southampton Water.

Cowes Lifeboat crossed the Solent at 7.25pm last night to help the 8.7-metre craft stuck on Bramble Bank.

A strong south-westerly wind was blowing, and the lifeboat crew deployed the craft's anchor to stabilise it until the incoming tide refloated the inflatable raft. 

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The lifeboat then escorted the inflatable up the River Hamble to Hamble Yacht Services.

No one was injured, the RNLI confirmed to the Echo.

Afterwards, the lifeboat returned to Bramble Bank to retrieve the discarded anchor, returning to Cowes station at 9.10pm.

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This comes after the Cowes team rescued a yacht suffering engine failure the night prior. 

While on exercise, the lifeboat was called by the Coastguards at 8pm to assist the yacht.

The yacht was drifting eastwards north of the breakwater.