Emergency services from Sunderland and South Tyneside called to clifftops three times on Christmas Day

Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT) and South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade (SSVLB) were involved in all three alerts.

The first call came in shortly before 4.30pm, when crews were called to assist Northumbria Police, North East Ambulance Service and both lifeboats from Tynemouth station with an incident at Trew Rocks, South Shields.

“The team couldn't escape a Christmas Day callout as we paged to assist Northumbria Police with an incident in South Shields with South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade (SSVLB) and the North East Ambulance Service and both lifeboats from Tynemouth lifeboat station,” said a CRT statement.

“We deployed our rope rescue equipment and working with the police the incident was successfully concluded after nearly three hours.”

The second call, shortly after 8pm, involved concern for the safety of a woman on the cliffs in Marsden.

As Life Brigade volunteers arrived, the woman was being placed into the care of the ambulance service.

Before crews had a chance to stand down, the third call came in about a man on the clifftops, also in Marsden.

“As team members were about to leave after the previous incident, police officers informed us of another incident developing,” said a SSVLB statement. Humber were updated and we were tasked to search for a missing male.”