Man rescued after trying to swim across the Tyne

A man was pulled from the river Tyne by a lifeboat crew from Tynemouth in the early hours of Sunday morning after he swam across the river.

The alarm was raised at 12.30am when a man went into the river and started swimming from South Shields ferry landing.

Police called for help from the Humber Coastguard and the launch of Tynemouth RNLI lifeboat.

The Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade were also tasked to help in the search from the shore.

Police officers searching on the north bank of the Tyne shined torches onto where they thought the man was and the lifeboat crew found him clinging to a ladder near to the North Shields ferry landing.

He was brought onto the boat and rushed to the lifeboat station where he was wrapped in blankets.

Paramedics arrived soon after and checked the man over, and after finding he was cold but didn't require any treatment.

He was taken into custody by police officers.