A MAN and three children had a lucky escape when they were rescued by auxillary coastguards making a routine check of Saltburn cliffs.

The coastguards, from Skinningrove, spotted four people trapped by the rising tide at the foot at Huntcliff at about 1.30pm on Sunday.

A rescue helicopter from RAF Leconfield was sent to the scene and Redcar Lifeboat was launched, in a very rough sea. A spokesman for the lifeboat said the boat encountered four and a half metre high waves on the way to Saltburn.

A 43-year-old man from Redcar, his ten-year-old nephew and two nieces aged 12 and 13 were winched to safety and landed on the prom at Saltburn.

Dave Cammish, who was in charge of the operation, praised the vigilance of the coastguards in spotting the group. He said they were lucky to escape with their lives, as they would not have survived the high tides.