Sunderland Coastguard called out three times in less than eight hours

Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team were called out three times in the space of eight hours on Wednesday, September 8 through to Thursday morning to various incidents.

Coastguard officers were paged twice during the night, yesterday with the first at 9.18pm where volunteers were called to assist Durham Constabulary with a search for a missing teenager in the Easington Colliery area.

Extensive searches were carried out for two hours on the coast along with a plane from the National Police Air Service HQ.

As teams began to formulate a new plan, the missing person made themselves known to Coastguard Officers on a nearby street and was taken into police care to take him home.

While volunteers were returning to station, the team came across a person who they had concerns for their welfare.

Coastguard Officers waited with them until they could be handed into care.

Just before 5am this morning the South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade (SSVLB) were then called to assist Northumbria Police with a search for a missing person in South Shields.

After around an hour the casualty was located by Coastguard Search teams and handed into the care of police and family members.

Earlier this week volunteers from Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team have been called out four times in the space of seven hours.

Members of the public are reminded that in the event of a coastal emergency, they should dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.

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