Tynemouth RNLI lifeboats get three call-outs in two hour spell

The station’s inshore and all-weather lifeboats were dispatched at 2:54pm to South Shields to help locate an eight-year-old boy who had gone missing on the beach.

The inshore lifeboat arrived on scene and searched along the busy beach while the all-weather lifeboat searched further out in case the child had been taken out to sea by the tide, with other groups searching the beach.

During the search, the inshore lifeboat was re-tasked to Whitburn, where four people were cut off by the tide.

The group had made it back to shore before the lifeboat arrived, and the crew changed course to return to the South Shields operation.

During the journey the child was located, so both vessels returned to Tynemouth.

They were shortly after advised that two people were in the water between the Tyne’s piers, and the inshore lifeboat was launched again.

The port’s pilot boat had located the casualties and directed the RNLI crew to them, where they were found to be ok after some health checks and handed over to Coastguard rescue teams.