Water phobia teen turns lifeguard

A Northumberland teenager who was so afraid of water he could not bear to get his face wet has become one of the country's youngest lifeguards.

Matthew Stanley, of Amble, tackled his phobia after visiting a swimming pool with friends last year.

He taught himself the basics and took a short course before entering the Royal Life Saving Society's National Pool Lifeguard exam after turning 16.

He is now a part-time as a lifeguard at the Granary Leisure Complex in Amble.

He is studying for his A-Level exams at Coquet High School.

The teenager said: "At first I would not even put my head under the water.

"It's just something I was always scared of, but then I thought, right, I'm going to do this."

Candidates must be at least 16 before they can sit the RLSS exam, making him one of the country's youngest lifeguards.

He now plans to train as a swimming teacher.