FIVE people, including two children, were rescued by lifeguards yesterday after they became stranded below cliffs.

The rescue today promoted a warning from lifeguards, who are urging all beach users to check tide times and safety warnings following the latest incident in Saltburn, east Cleveland.

The drama unfolded at about 1pm yesterday when Craig Granger, a beach lifeguard at Saltburn, noticed three adults and two children 350m beyond the cut off point at the base of Huntcliffe.

Knowing that the tide was coming in and could cut them off from safety, he alerted the coastguard and the beach supervisor before heading out to alert the group.

By the time he and his supervisor, Jim Beckett, reached the group they were knee high in water, in distress and slipping on the wet rocks and seaweed.

They were waist deep in water by the time the lifeguards guided them back round the danger point to safety.

Redcar and Cleveland Council's cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism, Councillor Sheelagh Clarke, said: "This group was lucky thanks to the eagle eye of our beach patrol who quite rightly called in the back up of the coastguard service just in case they weren't able to get the group to safety.

"It's really important that people pay heed to tide times and safety information that's available on the beach and from staff. It is easy to wander out without being aware of how far you have gone and how quickly the tide comes in."