An angler has died after a large wave swept him from a pier in north-east England.

The 47-year-old was rescued from the mouth of the River Tyne on Thursday after spending more than 20 minutes in rough seas.

The unnamed man was rushed to hospital but died at 2300 GMT.

A friend, who had been fishing with him at the time, was uninjured but was said to be deeply shocked by the incident.

Bad weather

The two anglers had been fishing on Tynemouth North Pier when weather conditions worsened and the pair decided to pack up.

As they made their way along the pier, a large wave broke over it and washed one of the men into the water.

Police and the coastguard were alerted and the police helicopter spotted the man after he had spent more than 20 minutes in the sea.

He was brought ashore by the Tynemouth Inshore Lifeboat and taken to North Tyneside General Hospital where he later died.

A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said the dead man's friend suffered shock but was otherwise unhurt.

She added: "It appears at this stage it was a tragic accident with no suspicious circumstances."

The man's identity is not being released until all his family had been informed.

A post mortem examination is due to be carried out on Friday.