THE RNLI has defended its decision to dismiss the coxswain at St Helier lifeboat station, which led to a walkout by the entire 25-strong crew.

Jersey politicians have called for an independent public enquiry in a bid to resolve the row between RNLI bosses and the island's all-weather lifeboat crew.

The crew walked over the dismissal of coxswain Andy Hibbs, who was asked to stand down, last week, by the charity after 25 years service for 'breaches of the RNLI's volunteer code of conduct.'

His dismissal led to the mass walkout and a number of protests in Jersey.

The RNLI's head office is based in Poole.

An RNLI statement posted online read: "We recognise this has caused a huge amount of concern within the Jersey community and among our supporters – we want to reassure you that we're doing all we can and are appealing to the crew at St Helier who have chosen to step down to help us find a resolution as quickly as possible.

"In the meantime, we're working hard to bring in extra support and put the St Helier all-weather lifeboat back on service as soon as we can.

"We know the amount of information we're able to share is frustrating for those of you who want to understand why this decision was made, but out of respect to the individuals involved in this confidential process we cannot go into more detail at this time."