Swimmer taken to hospital with hypothermia after being assisted by coastguards

Coastguard teams from Newbiggin and Amble were called to a report of a person in difficulty in the water just after 4pm today, Sunday, December 6.

They were joined by the inshore lifeboat from Newbiggin RNLI and the North East Ambulance Service.

According to a Newbiggin Coastguard Rescue Team Facebook post “both of the casualties had been celebrating a birthday and had consumed alcohol.”

The two people made it ashore when one swimmer required immediate assistance due to swallowing sea water and suffering from hypothermia.

A North East Ambulance spokesperson said: “We were called to Cresswell beach around 4.25pm where two men had been swimming in the water.

"One man got into some difficulty and we took him to Northumbria hospital suffering from hypothermia.

"Both men were out of the water when we arrived.”

The callout came to a close at around 5.40pm.

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