A RNLI lifeboat driven on to rocks on an island off the North's coast during a rescue attempt in raging seas has suffered serious and extensive damage of its hull, it was confirmed today.

It is possible that members of the Ulster Volunteer Force may have been behind an attempt to bomb a seaside town earlier this week, a leading loyalist politician claimed today.

Both the SDLP and Sinn Fein have urged the British Government to declare that the UDA is no longer on ceasefire.