The trio, who are all 14, were unaware that the tide was beginning to come in while they played on the beach at Cinderella Rocks, near Easington Colliery.

One of the Easington teenagers phoned for help and HM Coastguard co-ordinated the rescue attempt with the help of support from RAF Boulmer.

The helicopter hovered above the group, who had become stranded on a section of the beach.

They were winched to safety and handed over to coastguards from Seaham.
Hartlepool RNLI's inshore lifeboat was on stand-by.

A spokesman for the Coastguard said: "We received a 999 call from one of the teenagers after they had become stranded on the beach.

"The helicopter hovered above the group and took them to safety. The teenagers were not injured, but a bit colder and a bit wiser following the incident.

"We would urge anyone thinking about going down to enjoy the beach to check the tide times."

The incident happened at around 2.30pm yesterday