Firefighters pull casualty to safety from mudflats after reports of person in River Wear at Sunderland

Emergency services reacted to the alert off Ferryboat Lane in the North Hylton area of Sunderland on Saturday morning (December 11).

Firefighters from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, including a special rope rescue unit from South Shields, pulled a person to safety from the mudflats.

They were kept warm until the North East Ambulance Service, which took them away for checks, arrived.

It is not known if they had been in the water.

Sunderland RNLI also assisted in the incident shortly after 9am, launching their D Class inshore lifeboat.

It was thought there may be a second casualty in the water.

Sunderland RNLI added: “Our crew then carried out a search of the river from the A19 bridge down to Claxheugh Rock.

"Nothing was found and after a short while our volunteers were stood down by UK Coastguard to return to station.”

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