A TEENAGE boy had to be rescued from the River Wear after his friends threw darts at the inflatable dingy he was playing in - sinking the boat and leaving him stranded in the water. 

The 15-year-old was playing onboard the newly purchased £50 Argos inflatable dinghy next to Claxheugh Rock, South Hylton, Sunderland, when it was burst by his friends, who were throwing rocks and darts at it from the riverside.

The teenager, from Pennywell, Sunderland, was left stranded in the water, but was able to pull himself onboard a partially sunken boat.

One of the group because concerned about the boy, who was quickly becoming cold, and called the emergency services.

Costguard officers called in the RNLI, and the boy was rescued by a crew from Sunderland at 6.10pm.

He was brought back to the shore, where he was given a medical check-up and put into the care of police officers.

The same group of youths had been given safety advice by officers on the Port of Sunderland's water patrol boat earlier in the afternoon.

They were told that the dingy they were using was unsuitable and that none of them were wearing lifejackets.

Ian Rowan, helmsman at Sunderland RNLI, said: "This incident had the potential to turn into a practical joke leading to a fatality.

"The group not only ignored the safety advice of the water patrol officers; but then tried and succeeded in deliberately bursting the boat that their friend was floating in.

"Added to this the fact that they were not wearing lifejackets. Everyone was very lucky that this incident did not result in a near fatality."