Tony & Alison Tibbitt at home after being on their boat which exploded on Beccles Quay at the weekend.

The north Suffolk owner of a boat which burst into flames and then sank at Beccles Quay on Sunday has said today he is lucky to have escaped with his life.

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Tony Tibbitt and his wife Alison, were on their boat the Cleo when it was engulfed in an inferno after there was an apparent explosion on board.

After the flames spread, Mr Tibbitt, 76, was plucked to rescue by a passing boat after his wife had swam to safety.

Despite the large blaze, Mr Tibbitt only suffered what he called “singed hair and eyebrows”.

However, Mrs Tibbitt, 67, suffered second degree burns to her arms, shoulders and legs and had to be treated at the James Paget University Hospital, in Gorleston.

Today Mr Tibbitt recalled their ordeal from the comfort of his home in Carlton Colville, near Lowestoft.

The couple had taken their boat out so they could go for a picnic and Mr Tibbitt had filled the boat’s tank with 20 litres of petrol before the fire started at about 2.45pm.

Mr Tibbitt, a retired insurance claims manager and who sits on the newly-formed Carlton Colville Town Council, said: “We went out about 20 to 50 yards from the quay.

“Then I heard a loud bang. Then the engine and cabin was ablaze. Things did not look good. There were flames everywhere. My wife managed to jump off and swim to the quay.

“I was still on board on top of the boat. Then a boat came by and I got on that.

“All I can say is that we are lucky to be alive and I only got singed hair and eyebrows.

“I don’t know who the other boat owner was, but I want to thank him for helping me.”

Mr and Mrs Tibbitt, who have been married 46 years and have three children, have had their Birchwood 22 type boat for about three years and had spent “quite a lot of money” on getting her ship shape for their regular trips on the River Waveney.

The fire is being investigated by the Broads Authority.