A NINE-year-old boy was saved from drowning by lifeguards after he and his father were swept out to sea by a rip current.

The pair, from Glasgow, were spotted by an RNLI lifeguard patrolling the South Bay beach at Scarborough, North Yorkshire, at 2.30pm on Saturday, about half-a-kilometre outside the safe swim area marked by red and yellow flags.

The lifeguard suspected they were caught in a rip current and alerted his colleagues Tim Machon and Jack Perry, who went to the rescue.

The two casualties were exhausted and struggling to stay afloat about 90 metres from shore when they were found by the lifeguards.

Mr Machon said: "We understand the boy had got into difficulty in the water and so his dad had gone to try to help him.

"Unfortunately, they both got caught in a rip current and really were in some difficulty when we reached them. Once back on the beach, the dad was extremely grateful and said they would have drowned without our help."

The boy was suffering from the onset of hypothermia and had also swallowed a large amount of water while his father was exhausted, but otherwise fine.

For more information on rip currents and beach safety advice, go to www.rnli.org.uk/beachsafety