Man sparks rescue drama after taking a midnight swim in the Tyne

A man had to be rescued from the Tyne after going for a midnight swim across the river.
Police officers alerted the Coastguard after the man was spotted entering the River Tyne near to the Shields Ferry landing in South Shields at 12.30am on Sunday.
The man quickly disappeared from view, but rescuers believed he was heading across the width of the river to North Shields - despite the treacherous conditions.
The Tynemouth RNLI lifeboat was launched and headed to the north side of the river with three volunteer crew members on board. The Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade also carried out a... read more