Man refuses to be rescued

A man seen juggling before becoming cut off by the tide on Teesside jumped back into the sea after being rescued. The Royal National Lifeboat Institute(RNLI) Redcar lifeboat Leicester Challenge 2 was called after the man got into difficulty at the bottom of the cliffs at Saltburn near Huntcliff.

He tried to swim to safety, then when he was pulled into the boat he jumped out and had to be rescued again.

RNLI helmsman Tony Wild said the man got close to the boat's propellors and the rescue was a "struggle". He said: "We gave the man instructions to swim back to shore so that we could take charge of the situation. Despite the instructions, he continued to swim towards the lifeboat but then struggled with crew members as they tried to get him into the lifeboat. He broke free from their grasp and began to swim dangerously close to the lifeboat's propellers so the engines were immediately stopped."

The man was eventually pulled back into the boat, but as it got near to the beach he jumped out again and swam ashore.

He was stopped by a lifeguard and taken into the care of local police.

Dave Cocks, head of the rescue operation, said "This was certainly an unusual and difficult rescue for the crew. Usually the people we rescue are more than glad to remain in the lifeboat once they are rescued, but in this case the man had other ideas.