A VULNERABLE man was rescued in the early hours of this morning after being found barely conscious and freezing cold on a beach near the mouth of the Tees - as the tide came in.

The man has been taken to hospital after a large search and rescue operation involving lifeboat crews from Redcar RNLI, Cleveland Police, Coastguard rescue and ambulance crews.

Police initiated the search for the man in the South Gare area after they became concerned for his wellbeing.

Two RNLI lifeboats were launched just after 2.15am and began a search along the seaward and river side of the South Gare breakwater.

Police officers found the man on an area known as Bran Sands.

An RNLI statement said: "He was extremely cold and drifting in and out of consciousness.

"He was given immediate medical aid by paramedics and coastguard teams.

"Because of the difficult terrain in that area, it was decided to evacuate the man by stretcher aboard the Redcar lifeboat."

The casualty was taken to the entrance to Tees Dock, where he was transferred to a waiting ambulance and taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough for treatment.

Dave Cocks, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Redcar RNLI, said: ‘This was a complex search and rescue operation involving a large number of emergency service personnel.

‘Fortunately the man was found before his situation was made worse by the tide, which was about to start flowing in shortly after he was located.

‘His position on Bran Sands meant the rescue teams faced a difficult operation to carry him off the sands to the road, and then a long road journey to hospital. The alternative being to use the lifeboat to carry him along the river to Tees Dock where there’s a well-established evacuation point.’