Pair rescued as van is swamped by high tide on Holy Island causeway

Two people had to be rescued after the van they were in became submerged as they tried to cross a causeway at high tide.

A lifeboat was called after the vehicle was spotted in trouble on the Holy Island Causeway in Northumberland.

The driver and passenger had managed to get out of the van and make it to a refuge box - designed to protect people caught out by the tide.

Northumberland County Council installed warnings at either end of the mile-long causeway in 2012, however it is believed the pair spoke very little English and could not understand the signs.

Seahouses Lifeboat Operations Manager Ian Clayton said: "We suspect that language problems may have contributed to this incident.

"Fortunately both vehicle occupants were safely brought ashore and neither required medical assistance."

The rescue happened just after 3pm on Saturday. It was safe to cross to the island, also known as Lindisfarne, on Saturday between 8.20am and 1.50pm.

After that it was unsafe to cross until 8.50pm.