Volunteers from Sunderland’s RNLI lifeboat and HM Coastguard stations were scrambled into action on Wednesday when a 14-year-old boy was cast adrift onboard a small tender by friends, during an evening prank.

The Sunderland RNLI inshore lifeboat was launched shortly after 6pm to assist the teenager, whose plight had been reported to the Coastguard by a concerned member of the public. The 999 telephone call was answered by Humber Coastguard Marine Rescue Coordination Centre, who immediately requested assistance from the Sunderland’s RNLI lifeboat and Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team.

The teenager was found to be stranded onboard the small tender some 10m from the riverbank, opposite Sunderland Glass Centre. He was taken onboard the lifeboat before being transferred to the quayside where he was handed over to officers from Sunderland Coastguard.

Paul Nicholson, Senior Helmsman at Sunderland RNLI lifeboat station, said: ‘The teenager involved in this incident could have easily found himself in serious difficulty had he ended up falling from the tender into the river. Thankfully, on this occasion, the potentially dangerous situation was promptly reported to the Coastguard Operations Room, which allowed the emergency services to resolve the situation before it escalated.’