A TEENAGE prank ended in a lifeboat crew rescuing a 14-year-old boy who had been deliberately cast adrift in a small boat

Sunderland's RNLI and HM Coastguard station was scrambled into action after a concerned member of the public alerted the emergency services.

The alarm was raised shortly after 6pm on Monday and Humber Coastguard requested assistance from the Sunderland rescue team.

The station's Atlantic 85 class lifeboat was dispatched to the aid of the 14-year-old, who was found stranded onboard the boat ten metres from the riverbank, opposite Sunderland Glass Centre.

He was taken aboard the lifeboat before being transferred to the quayside, where he was handed over to officers from Sunderland Coastguard.

Paul Nicholson, senior helmsman at Sunderland Lifeboat Station, said last night: "The teenager involved in this incident could have easily found himself in serious difficulty had he ended up falling from the boat into the river.

"Thankfully, on this occasion a potentially dangerous situation was promptly reported to the coastguard operations room, which allowed the emergency services to resolve the situation before it escalated.''

News of the river drama came on the same day that Sunderland RNLI volunteers received an £8,500 boost towards their on-going training costs.

The cash award was donated by Northumbrian Water through their Care For Safety Challenge.

Craig Oliver, of Northumbrian Water, said: "We have a scheme which enables money to be raised for charities. In this case, we can help to ensure the safety of those who venture out to sea.

"We are delighted to be able to help an organisation which saves lives and is relied upon so heavily by North-East people.''

Last year, Northumbrian Water donated £3,000 to the RNLI station, which has already helped provide essential training for the volunteer crews. The cash went towards two weeks training for the volunteer crew in communications radar tuition with the RNLI Mobile Training unit, in preparation for the arrival of the station's new Atlantic 85 Lifeboat, in May