A HEROIC father and his young daughter were saved from choppy seas after two lifeboats and a helicopter were scrambled to save them.

The girl, an 11-year-old holidaymaker, was swept into the sea at Stoup Beck, Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire, late on Sunday afternoon and her father plunged into the water to reach her.

However he was unable to get back to the shore and was forced to tread water while holding his daughter above the surface.

Whitby’s inshore and all-weather lifeboats were launched after the pair were seen shouting for help in the sea.

Although they were close to the shore they were behind the breaking surf and the water was cold with a four-metre swell following strong westerly winds.

The inshore boat managed to reach the pair after they had been in the water for 45 minutes and both were cold and exhausted and finding it difficult to keep their heads above water.

They were pulled into the boat, which then headed into deeper water and transferred them to the all-weather lifeboat, where they were checked over by the crew and wrapped in blankets to keep them warm.

The pair were then winched into the rescue helicopter and flown to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. They were kept in overnight and were then allowed to continue their holiday.

Mechanic Richard Dowson, who was aboard the all-weather boat during the rescue, said: “They were very lucky as the water was cold and they were in it for a long time.

“The father did a wonderful job clinging on to his daughter to keep her above the surface while treading water in those conditions. He certainly saved her life.”

Whitby RNLI coxswain Mike Russell said: “It was a difficult job, but both crews performed a text book rescue. Thank goodness we reached the casualties in time to save their lives.”