Emergency services came to the aid of a crew of six rowers whose boat had gotten into difficulty on a weir in the River Tyne yesterday afternoon.

The rowing crew found trouble on the weir near Hexham Bridge in Northumberland, which links Hexham with the North Tyne valley, about 20 miles west of Newcastle.

Fire crews arrived on the scene just before 3pm on Sunday to find the six rowers in the water and requested the Northumberland Fire and Rescue Team’s swift water rescue boat to launch.

The rescue boat crew recovered all six boaters and took them safely to shore where they were attended to by waiting paramedics.

A spokesman for the Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service said: “A rowing boat had got into difficulty on the weir at Hexham Bridge. Six casualties were in the water near to the bridge and were rescued by the swift water rescue team assisted by fire crews.”

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