Emergency services will hold a ‘major incident drill’ in a Somerset coastal town on Monday May 23.

Police, fire and paramedics will descend on Watchet Harbor on the west coast of Somerset between noon and 4 p.m. to practice responding to a major incident. The pre-planned exercise, which is being coordinated by Somerset West and Taunton Council, will involve “an incident on board a chartered fishing vessel near the entrance to Watchet Harbor Marina”.

As well as standard blue light emergency services, the exercise also involves the council, Watchet Harbor Master and the Maritime Coastguard Agency. As part of the exercise, the wounded will be recovered from the ship and a rest center will be set up in the town.

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A spokesperson for the council said: “This is not a communications exercise or a media opportunity, but we appreciate that it may provoke a reaction from members of the public who may contact the press, hence the “advance warning. We and our partners will respond to all social media posts of the day with the agreed-upon messages, and would appreciate your help in sharing them as appropriate.”

Watchet Harbor and its marina have become a focal point for the town in recent years, boosted by the sale of the marina to The Marine Group in 2021 and East Quay regeneration projects delivered by the Onion Collective.