Storm Kathleen: RNLI lifeboat callout retrieves Baby Yoda balloon from North Sea in Northumberland

Yoda was recovered from the Northumberland coast in the aftermath of Storm Kathleen. Credit: Andrew Cowan/RNLI

Lifeboat volunteers received an emergency callout during Storm Kathleen - only to find it was a Baby Yoda balloon in the sea.

It was the second call out in five hours for Craster RNLI in Northumberland and resulted in an unlikely discovery.

Craster RNLI volunteers were paged by HM Coastguard to search for a large object that had been reported in the water just after 6pm on Monday 8 April.

The charity's D-class lifeboat D839 James Ballard was launched and headed north out to sea on the Northumberland coast with four volunteer crew on board.

On arrival in Embleton Bay, a large silver object was quickly located. The object was a balloon in the shape of the Jedi Master Yoda from the Star Wars films.

'Yoda' was deflated and Storm Katleen gales helped the volunteer crew safely back to Craster. Credit: Andrew Cowan/RNLI

Howick Coastguard Rescue Team was also tasked to the incident in Embleton Bay.

The RNLI said in a Facebook post: "The first informant did the correct thing by calling 999 and asking for the Coastguard, as this could have quite easily been a kite surfer.

"The charity advises that if you find yourself or anyone in trouble in the water to dial 999 or 112 from a mobile phone and ask for the Coastguard."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...