Family of five and pet dog trapped as they were cut off by tide on Yorkshire Coast

The family-of -five and their dog were cut off by the sea on the beach between Whitby and Saltwick Nab - an area below the cliffs with no other exit routes - at around 4.30pm on Saturday.

The family alerted the coastguard who deployed their Whitby and Ravenscar crews and Whitby’s inshore lifeboat to help.

They were quickly located and all five, as well as their pet, were taken to safety by the lifeboat volunteers who made two trips - bringing the children ashore first, then the adults and dog.

They were taken to the lifeboat station where they were checked over and given tides advice.

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Lifeboat Operations Manager at Whitby, Barry Brown ,said: "I have spoken to the family who were extremely grateful for the rescue and couldn’t believe they had been caught out by the tides after thinking they had taken all the necessary precautions.

"It just goes to show, even experienced walkers can be caught out by a fast incoming tide.

"We would recommend to everyone to check the tide times and give yourselves plenty of time to reach your destination. Always carry a means of calling for help."

If you get into difficulty on or near the water you can alert the coastguard by calling 999.