A US tourist was airlifted to safety after getting stuck while climbing a cliff in North Yorkshire yesterday.

The man, in his forties and from Pasadena, California, was picked up by a rescue helicopter at Boulby Cliffs, in Staithes, and flown to safety just before 1pm. Skinningrove and Staithes coastguards attended the scene. A coastguard spokeswoman said: "The man was trying to climb up the cliff and got trapped. The position he was in meant it was easiest for the helicopter to get him. But he was fine and needed no medical treatment. He was just a little shaken."

ENGINE CRASH: Police are investigating a crash between a fire engine and a car in Hartlepool yesterday afternoon. The collision happened in Greatham Street at about 4.15pm. The male driver of a Citroen car was taken to hospital with minor injuries. No one else was hurt but both vehicles were badly damaged.

CIGS HAUL: Two North-East men were arrested yesterday after Customs officers found three million cigarettes, worth about £675,000, in a container that was supposed to be filled with clothes from Dubai, at Felixtowe on the south coast. A 47-year-old Northumberland man was yesterday charged with the fraudulent evasion of about £500,000 in excise duty. A Sunderland man arrested in connection with the seizure has been released on police bail.

MURDER CHARGE: A 28-year-old man appeared before North Tyneside Magistrates Court yesterday charged with murdering his father. Mark Jobson, of Ventnor Gardens, Whitley Bay, was arrested on Tuesday after the death of his 59-year-old father, Keith, of the same address. He was remanded in custody to appear before Newcastle Crown Court next week.

OFFICER SHOT: A police officer was shot with what is believed to be an air rifle. The constable was on patrol in Manor Way, Jarrow, South Tyneside, at 5.20pm on Tuesday, when the pellet struck his arm. He suffered bruising to his left upper arm. Police are treating the incident as a deliberate assault. Anyone with any information should contact South Shields CID on 0191- 454 7555.

MAN STABBED: A 24-year-old man was left with a punctured lung after he was stabbed in the early hours of yesterday morning. The attack happened in the John Street area of Blaydon at about 1am. Two men approached the victim and assaulted him. He was taken to South Tyneside Hospital for treatment. His attackers are described as being in their thirties, one with blond and one with dark hair. Anyone with any information should contact South Shields CID on 0191-454 7555.

STUDENT HURT: A student hit by a taxi while he tried to cross a motorway was last night being treated for serious head and leg injuries. The 19-year-old was halfway across the A167 central motorway in Newcastle at about 8pm on Tuesday, when he was struck by the Renault minibus taxi. The driver of the cab was treated for shock. None of his five passengers were injured.