Woman pulled from River Tyne and taken to hospital after rescue mission

The Shields Ferry called for help after it reported it had pulled a woman from the water near to its landing on the north side at around 12.30pm today.

HM Coastguard confirmed it had alerted the emergency services after the call came in from the crew, which had spotted the woman as it travelled between its bases.

It asked for help from the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB), police and paramedics.

A spokesman for the TVLB said: "Brigade members arrived on scene with officers from Northumbria Police and paramedics from the North East Ambulance Service to find the woman conscious and breathing but in a very cold condition.

"She was taken to hospital by the ambulance service for further assessment and treatment."