Men rescued as boat breaks down

Two men were rescued after their boat broke down and started taking on water off the Teesside coast.

The Coastguard received a 999 call in the early hours of Sunday from the pair on board the boat Aquarius, who were unsure of their position.

Their location was confirmed after they were told to fire a flare and the Hartlepool RNLI all-weather lifeboat towed her into port in the town.

Hartlepool Coastguard was also involved in berthing the boat.

A Coastguard spokeswoman said that while mobile phones were a good source of communication, they should not be relied upon alone and advised boat users to also have a VHF radio set with them.