THE region's latest lifeboat was called into action for the first time at the weekend.

A new Atlantic 75 class boat was brought into service a week ago at Hartlepool Marina and, on Saturday, the £75,000 vessel attended its first emergency.

The boat - called BBC Radio Cleveland - responded to a radio Mayday from a boat five miles off the River Tees, which reported that a diver had not surfaced.

Hartlepool and Teesmouth lifeboats were both alerted, as well as a helicopter from RAF Boulmer and the Coastguard.

However, the crew had located the diver by the time the emergency services arrived. The diver, who surfaced a mile from his boat, is not thought to have been hurt