The boat-house, which is where the ill-fated Mary Stanford launched from, has been cleaned up.

The Mary Stanford launched on November 15 1928 during a storm to go to the aid of a stricken steamer. She capsized and all of the 17 man crew drowned, wiping out practically the whole male fishing population of the village at that time.

Andrew Pearce of the Environment Agency said: "We appreciate the historical significance of this building and are pleased that we could be of help to the community of Rye.

"The lifeboat house was previously fenced off, it had vegetation growing all around it and rubbish was collecting there. It wasn't a pretty site.

"After talking to the Friends of the Mary Stanford Lifeboat House about their concerns and their hopes for the future of the house we set about clearing the area.

"We have now taken down the fencing, cleared the rubbish and vegetation away. We are really pleased with the improvement it has made.

"We are really looking forward to seeing how the lifeboat house progresses. We have done a lot of work in and around Rye with the regeneration of the Harbour, improving defences and we are currently consulting on how coastal flood risk is managed between Folkestone and Rye over the next 100 years.

"We thank the Friends of the Mary Stanford Lifeboat House for helping us to make this improvement to the boathouse happen.

"We are always keen to work closely with communities when we make decisions that affect them. This involvement can help us ensure we make the right decisions for an area."

The move has been welcomed by the Friends of the Mary Stanford Lifeboat House.

Chairman Cllr Jacqueline Stanford said: "The Environment Agency are to be congratulated. It just looks 100 percent better than it did when the Friends was first set up.

"We are absolutely delighted that the EA have responded so quickly and effectively to our concerns and look forward to working with them to secure the future of the lifeboat house."