THREE teenagers used a mobile phone to raise the alarm after fearing they had been cut off by the rising tide.
The girls called for help from a cave near Featherbed Rock, at Seaham, County Durham, on Sunday evening.
Lifeboat volunteers based at Sunderland RNLI were scrambled at about 6.30pm after coastguard officers were contacted by one of the girls' sisters.
However, the teenagers managed to scramble to safety onto Seaham seafront before the lifeboat arrived.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here