SAILORS in the south have been told to make safety a priority after more than 2,000 people were rescued by the RNLI last year.

Crews from 39 lifeboat stations in the region were called out 1,981 times in 2016 - a 13 per cent increase on the figure recorded for the previous 12 months.

The Calshot crew, whose area includes the Solent and Southampton Water, saw one of the biggest increases.

Last year they launched 115 times, making Calshot the fourth busiest lifeboat station in the country. In 2015 they carried out 88 missions, making it the ninth busiest.

Nationally 2016 saw the highest number of RNLI rescues since 2011.

Now the Poole-based charity has marked the publication of the new figures by urging sailors, swimmers and coastal walkers to take more care.

Glen Mallen, the RNLI's lifesaving manager, said: "We'd really like to see people paying more attention to safety messages and giving the water the respect it deserves.

"We’re calling on anyone visiting the coast to make safety a priority.

"That means wearing a lifejacket, checking their vessel before they go afloat, knowing they should call 999 and asking for the coastguard in an emergency, checking the tide times before they set out and staying away from cliff edges and unstable coastal paths.

"While we'll always answer the call for help, I and everyone within the RNLI would like to see people staying safer at the coast."

The number of lifeboat launches around the UK and Irish coast totalled 8,851 in 2016 - a seven-per-cent increase on the figure for 2015 and a five-year high. Lifeguard incidents in 2016 totalled 17,414, which was also higher than the previous year.

An RNLI spokesman said: "It’s impossible to attribute the rise to one particular factor – it could be a multitude of reasons.

"If we had a particularly hot summer - or a series of hot weekends - more people may have gone to the seaside. Alternatively, it could be down to pure chance or an increase in the popularity of certain pursuits such as windsurfing, kayaking and paddleboarding.

"The RNLI is needed as much as ever and we'll always be there as a frontline search and rescue service to help people in distress."

For information on how to stay safe on or near water go online and visit rnli.org.uk.