Whitby, Staithes and Redcar coastguards earn reward for 'dangerous and challenging' night rescue

The actions of Andrew Clark (Whitby), John Treacher and Jordan Vasey, both Staithes and Jamie Moffit, Redcar, saved the man’s life on September 9.

All four have now received a Chief Coastguard’s Commendation Award.

On the night of the rescue, the casualty called 999 at about midnight after he found himself cut off by the incoming tide with a very real risk of being drowned by the rough and challenging sea.

The four coastguards were part of a bigger emergency response to the incident, including fellow volunteers from Redcar, Staithes and Whitby coastguard teams, Redcar lifeboat, coastguard helicopter 912 and the North East Ambulance Service.

They battled crashing waves to get closer to the casualty.

As they neared him, the man, who had found a ledge up on the cliff to wait for help, was swept off his feet and went underwater.

The team attached a line to Redcar coastguard Jamie who swam about 30m to the casualty, managing to reach him just in time.

The other three pulled them back in and worked together to quickly get the casualty to a place of safety for further treatment.

Greg Albrighton, Coastal Operations Area Commander, who presented the award on behalf of Chief Coastguard Peter Mizen, said: “This was an extremely challenging and dangerous rescue because of its location, the sea conditions and how dark it was.

"It needed quick thinking and dynamic action.

“The courage and skill of the four men involved was exemplary.

“In 34 years doing this job, this is only the third time that I have had the honour of giving out this award to teams in our area, that stretches from Whitby up to the Scottish borders.

"It is a tribute to the teams and the training that they do to prepare for incidents like this.”

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency rely on volunteers to keep people safe on the coast.

Visit https://www.gov.uk/volunteer-as-a-coastguard to find out more.