Passengers on a typically peaceful and normally uneventful Ferry crossing from South to North Shields witnessed a sudden surge of alarm on the River Tyne. It was an unauthorised swimmer in the water who prompted concerns for his welfare from crew.
David Punton, Communications Officer for Nexus said: “There was a report of a man in the water a few hundred metres down river from our North Shields landing, next to the North Shields Fish Quay.
“The pilot boat and the lifeboat attended the scene and a man was spotted and rescued from the water by the crew of the pilot boat."
READ MORE: Woman dies after being pulled from the River Tyne at Hebburn
The River Tyne is a dangerous place to swim, as the peaceful waters on the surface hide twisting undercurrents that have the potential to drag a person under and keep them there. In addition, the cold water can be such a shock to the system that a swimmer seizes up and may find themselves in a state of panic.
"There was an incident where a man did enter the water. We did assist him out, this was run by the coastguard who then contacted the police,” The Harbour Master for Port of Tyne confirmed.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “At around 2.15 pm yesterday we received a report that a man had been rescued from the water near to the Bell Street in North Shields. Officers attended but the man had already left the area.”
It is not known why he attempted to swim across the river, as he initially declined help from the circling lifeboat until the Pilot Boat arrived.
An RNLI lifeboat spokesperson added: "At 2.10pm HM Coastguard paged the Brigade with a request to proceed to North Shields Fish Quay to carry out a welfare check on a person who was reported to have been in the River Tyne, fully clothed, and possibly under the influence of alcohol.
"Brigade members arrived on scene and spoke with a group of fishermen who said that the casualty had been seen to climb out of the water and then leave the area unaided.
"With no sign of the casualty in the local area, the Coastguard confirmed that they were satisfied no further assistance was required and the Brigade was stood down.
The Shields Ferry delayed its departure from North Shields for a few minutes whilst the rescue took place, remaining on standby should the vessel and crew be needed to assist.
David Punton added: “The Shields Ferry crew are specially trained to rescue people from the water in the event they are required to do so, although they were not called upon during this incident.”
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