A yachtswoman stranded off the coast of Italy managed to summon help by calling a friend in the North-East on her mobile phone.

The woman on board the stricken yacht Camomile did not have a radio on board.

The only means available to her was her mobile and she did not know the number for the local coastguard.

The woman and her companion decided the only solution was to call a friend.

Margaret Moore, sitting at home watching TV in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, received the mayday call.

Mrs Moore then dialled 999 and her call was routed to the North-East coastguard headquarters at Bridlington.

From there staff were able to call the yachtswoman on her phone and plot her position.

A call was then made to their counterparts in Rome who took over the mission and the yacht, which suffered engine failure, was towed into shore.

Coastguard Mark Ellis said: "It was an unusual one for us to be called by a lady in Whitley Bay about an emergency off the coast of Italy

"There was no VHF radio on the yacht so they had no means of raising the alarm when their engine failed.

"The mobile phone was her next line of defence and she made use of it to great effect.

"However, we would always advise people to have a working VHF radio to raise the alarm.

"The yacht had two people aboard and both they and the vessel reached the shore safely."