TWO teenagers have been praised for saving the life of a pregnant woman.

Sam Bennet and Zoe Duncan rescued the woman, who has not been named, after she waded into the sea, off Redcar, east Clevland, on Thursday night.

The 16-year-olds had been walking along the Esplanade when they saw the woman run on to the beach and into the sea.

In a textbook rescue, Sam, of Keswick Road, Redcar, rushed to phone the emergency services while Zoe tried to persuade the woman out of the water, who by then was 40 metres out at sea.

"I just shouted to her that it wasn't worth it and that it wouldn't solve anything. I kept talking and she started to come back," said Zoe, of Oak Road, Redcar.

As the woman got closer Zoe waded in and helped her back to shore.

By this time the coastguard and the crew of the Redcar Lifeboat had arrived as a result of Sam's phone call.

Sam knew it was safer to call the police than swim out to the woman, thanks to his father's 35 years' experience with Redcar Lifeboat crew.

The woman, who is believed to be 11 weeks pregnant, was given oxygen and treated for hypothermia and shock before being taken to Middlesbrough General Hospital.

Dave Cammish, of Redcar Lifeboat Station, said: "They did exactly the right things and were largely responsible for the young woman's survival.