A GROUP of Multiple Sclerosis sufferers kidnapped a Teesside businessman to raise money for a trip on the high seas.

The members of the MS society are joining a chartered boat in Hartlepool today to set sail to Scotland. The boat, chartered by the society, makes journeys between April and September around England and France, with various MS crews on board.

Joining the latest trip to Scotland are Becky Verrall and Donna Leach from the Hartlepool MS Resource centre.

Becky works with children who have MS while Donna is an MS sufferer and volunteer.

To help fund the trip some of the crew members staged a kidnap yesterday and took Jim Bainbridge from the Garland call centre at Hartlepool marina hostage.

Worried staff raised a £100 deposit to get their boss freed and they have promised to raise more over the next few days.

Anne Bell, manager of the Hartlepool resource centre said: "The boat is crewed by people with MS and people who work with people with MS."

The trip is expected to take a week.