THE prime minister has praised the lifeboat and tug crews who averted a disaster when they came to the aid of a stricken cargo ship on New Year’s Eve.

Swanage and Weymouth lifeboat crews, along with the Poole-based tug Kingston, have been credited with preventing dozens of deaths and huge damage to the environment.

They went to the rescue of the cargo ship Pilsum, which had dropped anchor off Portland Bill after losing power but had drifted miles eastward towards rocks at St Alban’s Head.

Dorset South MP Richard Drax raised the case in the House of Commons during questions to the prime minister.

“While most of us were celebrating over New Year’s Eve, the crews of the Poole-based tug Kingston and the Swanage and Weymouth lifeboats were battling mountainous seas and 70mph winds off the coast of Dorset to prevent a cargo ship from being blown onto the rocks,” he said.

He said the skill of the crews led to a tow being fixed and “a disaster prevented”.

Mr Drax, who was called by Commons speaker John Bercow under his full name of Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, invited Mrs May to congratulate the crews.

The prime minister said: “I’m very happy to do that, to praise all those who were involved in averting a disaster, both the tug crew and those involved in the RNLI.

“Those volunteers in the RNLI do a fantastic job around our coastlines day in and day out and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.”