BACK in the late Sixties my father was the station officer at HM Coastguard, Hartlepool.

The lookout station was directly in front of the Heugh lighthouse.

One night, about 2am, it was raining and windy. He had just finished writing up his log and when he looked up he saw a woman standing about 20 metres in front of him on the grassed area just looking out to sea.

He said he watched her for about 30 seconds and the light from the lighthouse kept picking her up. He decided to go down and speak to her to see if she was OK. When he arrived there was no sign of her anywhere. He even checked round the back of the lighthouse. Nothing On the second occasion, he had retired from the coastguards and was the temporary lighthouse keeper. It was early evening and he was in the small office room next to the light. He was rolling a cigarette when he smelt pipe tobacco. He looked up and there was an old man smoking a pipe watching him. Next thing the old man just vanished.

That shook him that much he dropped his rolly.

Name and address supplied.