THE widow of a Leigh fisherman, who drowned at sea, is part of a campaign to encourage more of them to wear life jackets.

Jane Dolby, 43, who lost husband Colin, 47, back in November last year, is part of a new campaign launched by the Marine and Coastguard Agency urging fishermen to wear life jackets.

Mr Dolby’s body was found washed up on a beach along Thorpe Esplanade in July. He had gone down with his boat Louisa amid stormy seas eight months earlier.

In the campaign video, Mrs Dolby said: “Colin could not swim and didn’t wear a life jacket because he said it would have restricted his mobility and stopped him working properly.

“Even if the life jacket had not saved his life, it may have helped the rescue services find his body faster, which would have cut down on all the heartache suffered by our family.”

The agency says 112 fishermen have been lost at sea since 2000 in the UK, and if they had been wearing a life jacket, their chances of survival would have been far greater.

Gerry Wood, a coastguard sector manager, said: “What we are saying is, if you end up in the water, a life jacket may give you your best chance of staying alive.”