THE North Yorkshire Ambulance Service was assisted by the Coastguard when one of its emergency vehicles got stuck in heavy snow.

The ambulance got stranded at Egton in the Esk Valley on the North Yorkshire Moors around 9.15pm last night, as it tried to reach a patient suffering from dehydration in Grosmont, in the Esk Valley.

A Coastguard rescue vehicle picked up the ambulance crew at Egton and took them to the patient's house, then returned the paramedics and patient back to the snowed-in ambulance.

The ambulance was then escorted to Whitby Hospital.

Alex Harrison, watch officer at Humber Coastguard, said: "The weather conditions on the North Yorkshire moors are severe with deep snow drifts, very steep hills and extremely low temperatures.

"Our teams have been very happy to help our colleagues in the other emergency services in these extreme weather conditions with our mix of 4x4s, stretchers and first aid experience normally and primarily deployed along our coastline."