A FISHERMAN had to be plucked from the water after being swept into the mouth of a river as strong winds battered the North-East coastline.
The incident sparked a dramatic helicopter search after the man was spotted struggling to keep himself above water in the River Tees at South Gare, near Redcar.
A member of the public raised the alarm at around 4pm this afternoon and a nearby police helicopter hovered above the man to help lifeboat crew locate him.
Members of the Redcar RNLI lifeboat managed to pull the man from the water and carried out CPR on the fisherman.
An RAF Sea King helicopter, which had been dispatched to the scene of the incident, winched the stricken man from the boat before flying him to James Cook University Hospital for treatment.
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