Holy Island: Trapped children and adult rescued from causeway

Four children and an adult were rescued after their car became trapped as they tried to cross Holy Island causeway, almost an hour after it was safe to do so.

Seahouses RNLI lifeboat was launched just before 14:00 GMT on Friday.

The children and adult went to a refuge box before they were rescued.

"They had attempted to cross contrary to the safe crossing times when their car became overwhelmed by the depth of seawater," an RNLI spokesperson said.

When the crew arrived the tide was level with the windscreen of their car.

Safe crossing times for Friday were 07:10 GMT until 13:00, with high tide at Holy Island at 15:21.

The lifeboat took three people to the mainland, leaving a crewman with the remaining two, before it returned to pick them up.

All five were transferred into the care of Berwick Coastguard rescue team, who had waded out into the water with a rescue sled.

Although they did not need medical assistance, they were described as "cold and damp".

"We cannot emphasise enough the danger of crossing the causeway outside of the published safe crossing times," said a spokesperson for the coastguard.

"The tide floods very quickly, and although it may look safe as you begin to cross, you will quickly find yourself in trouble."

An RNLI team at Seahouses was also called during the early hours of Saturday to help transport an ambulance crew to Holy Island, to help a woman who was suffering chest pains.

The causeway was closed by the tide and the all-weather lifeboat was called at 02:10.

Following an assessment, the patient was taken by lifeboat to Seahouses and then to Cramlington Emergency Specialist Care Hospital.

It was the second time in 24 hours that an ambulance crew made the crossing, having previously been called to help an elderly woman who had fallen and suffered a head injury during the early hours.

Anyone planning a visit to the island is advised to check when it is safe to cross the Holy Island causeway on the Northumberland County Council website.

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