A swimmer who was suffering from hypothermia and water in the lungs was rescued by boat crews after coming into difficulty just off the North East coastline.

Emergency services were called to King Edwards’s Bay in Cullercoats at around 10am on Sunday (December 10) following reports of a swimmer in distress.

HM Coastguard received ten ‘999’ calls in connection with the incident, which saw them dispatch boats to the scene.

The Northern Echo: A swimmer in the seaA swimmer in the sea (Image: RNLI)

During the rescue, the lifeboat was already at the scene on a pre-planned training exercise and was quickly at the incident.

After recovering the casualty to the boat, just as he had started to dip under the water, the lifeboat also recovered a member of the public who had attempted to reach the casualty but had been unable to bring him back to shore.

According to Coastguard crews, the casualty was conscious but was showing signs of hypothermia and had also taken on a considerable amount of water.

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After returning to Cullercoats, the casualty and the person who tried to help were assisted by the RNLI and Brigade members, with the casualty then taken to hospital by an ambulance crew for further assessment and checks.

The man who had gone to aid the casualty did not require medical care and left the area.

At this point, all rescue resources were stood down.