Stranded family rescued by boat

The family was brought to safety on the Jacky Hunsley

A family had to summon help by mobile phone when they become cut off by the tide at a "notorious" point on the Teesside coast.

The man, woman, and 10-year-old child from Darlington were stranded at Huntcliff, Saltburn on Sunday evening.

When darkness fell they dialled 999 and both Redcar lifeboats were launched.

A police helicopter searchlight was used to guide the smaller craft to the scene. The family was transferred on board and brought back to the beach.

Dave Cocks, in charge of the RNLI operations said: "The area the family were rescued from is a notorious cut-off point and we would urge people to make careful note of the time of high tide before attempting to walk round the bottom of Huntcliff.

"They were lucky they were able to get a mobile phone signal so close to the cliffs, otherwise their predicament could have been much worse.

"As it was they were suffering from mild hypothermia and if they had had to wait until daylight they may well have been severely affected by the cold."