A huge mural dedicated to the lifesaving work of the RNLI along Weymouth’s harbourside could be completed very soon.

A provisional date has been set for the painted tribute of the Ernest and Mabel lifeboat which will go on the side of the Custom House Café - which is almost directly opposite the RNLI’s Weymouth Lifeboat Station.

The date has been set as Monday, December 16, weather permitting, with the hopes that it will be completed in between Christmas and the New Year.

The large mural will mark the 200th anniversary of the RNLI, which is particularly poignant to Weymouth as it is one of the busiest RNLI stations.

Ernest and Mabel which is set to be depicted in the artwork is a Severn class all-weather lifeboat, and the station is also home to Jack and Phyl Cleare, a B class Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat.

Despite concerns from planning officers that the mural is ‘overbearing’ and would cause ‘harm,’ many local residents have described the artwork as ‘fantastic,’ and have deemed it ‘a brilliant tribute.

Some planning officers even suggested a smaller mural criticising the overly-bright colour scheme. 

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At a planning meeting, councillors voted 5-3 to allow the mural to go ahead, with one abstention.

Many residents have said that the RNLI is a part of Weymouth's heritage and should be preserved through the art work. 

Weymouth Lifeboat Station was established by the RNLI in 1869 to give assistance to boats in distress on the north and east sides of Weymouth Bay.

Over the other side of the harbour in Hope Square, another mural has been dedicated to the lifesaving charity.

The tribute has been painted onto the beach huts outside of the Red Lion pub in Hope Square which are put up between October and May.

Owner of the Pub, Brian McLaughlin wanted to use the space at the back of the huts, as a way of celebrating the local charity.