A person was rescued from the sea in what turned out to be a large emergency services response in Blyth.
The incident took place on Saturday evening in the hour before the start of the Northumberland town’s yearly fireworks display.
Coastguard staff successfully rescued the person and they were taken to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital at Cramlington by paramedics.
Local councillors thanked the emergency services for their response.
“The team have been inundated with messages about an incident tonight, we can confirm the following statement as facts,” a Blyth Coastguard Rescue representative said on social media.
“The team attended a coastal emergency incident this evening at Blyth beach where a person was recovered from sea.
“The incident was not linked to the Blyth Town Council fireworks event, we can confirm one person was taken to hospital by the ambulance service.”
The coastguard repeated that the incident was not related to the fireworks display.
The person was rescued from Blyth beach
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“The request from the Coastguard Officer in charge asked for the display to be delayed by 15 minutes while the incident was being dealt with,” the coastguard added.
“This was not the result of any incident within the event itself.
“It was for the emergency service’s safety while dealing with the incident.
“If you see or suspect anyone in danger at the coast dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”
Blyth Coastguard Rescue responded to the incident
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A North East Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called to an incident at Blyth Battery Beach on Links Road this evening (1 November) at 18:10”.
“We dispatched one ambulance crew, one specialist paramedic, one clinical team leader and one HART resource (Hazardous Area Response Team),” the spokesman added.
“One patient was taken to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital (NSEC).”
A Blyth Town Council representative told people the display would be “running 15 mins behind schedule” as a result of the incident.
“We thank you for your patience,” the representative said.
Local councillors for Cowpen ward Coun, Brian Erskine and Coun Mark Foster, said: “This evening, emergency services responded to a serious coastal incident at Blyth Beach, where a person was recovered from the sea”.
“The incident was not connected to the Blyth Town Council fireworks event,” they said.
“However, the Blyth Coastguard Rescue Team in charge requested that the fireworks display be delayed by around 15 minutes to allow emergency crews to work safely.”
They asked residents “not to speculate about the details of this incident until the police have opened an official dialogue and released accurate information”.
“Sharing unverified details can cause unnecessary distress to those directly affected,” they added.
“My sincere thanks go to all the emergency services the Coastguard, RNLI , Northumbria police, and North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust for their professionalism and calm response this evening.”
The fireworks display was set for 7pm near the Mermaid Car Park with festivities starting at 4pm.