FOUR teenagers had to be rescued from a County Durham river at the weekend after a camping trip went wrong.

A safety warning has been issued after the four 18 year olds had be rescued from an island on the River Tees, near Middleton-in-Teesdale on Saturday.

The group, made up of two men and two women from Darlington, had set up camp on the small island at Low Force waterfall on Friday night but heavy rainfall overnight and on Saturday morning saw the water levels rise to dangerous levels and they became stranded.

Phil Innis, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service’s manager for Easington District, who attended the scene, said the teenagers initially called their parents for help.

The parents came to their aid but knew the water was too dangerous so called the fire service just after 4pm.

Three engines from Bishop Auckland, Stanhope and Middleton-in-Teesdale, along with the Swift Water Rescue Team from Bishop Auckland rushed to the scene and all were safe within an hour.