THREE people were rescued by lifeboat after a holidaying couple drove into the sea - not realising Holy Island was a real island.

The couple, in their 60s, were driving North when they got lost during the night and took a wrong turn, then found themselves driving onto the North Sea.

They were heading towards Haggerston Castle holiday park near Berwick upon Tweed in Northumberland, when they turned right off the A1 too soon and found themselves on the flooded causeway.

Their son, who had been travelling up the A1 ahead of them, was also stranded after trying to reach them.

One of the couple, who were from Yorkshire, told lifeboat crew members they had become confused in the dark and "did not realise Holy Island was a real island".

Their car cut out and became marooned, leaving its shocked occupants to make their way through the deepening water in darkness to a nearby stilted refuge box, where they used the SOS phone to alert the coastguard.

Their son, who had been travelling up the A1 ahead of them in his 4X4 contacted them by mobile phone when they failed to meet him as arranged and discovered they were stranded in the wooden box.

He drove back down to Beal with his young son, parked his vehicle next to the causeway and waded through the waist deep water to join his parents in the refuge.

The incoming tide meant it was too dangerous for them to try to return to land so all three had to be picked up from the box by the Seahouses inshore lifeboat, which had been brought by road to the scene after being called out by the Humber Coastguard.

The rescued trio were said to be wet, cold and embarrassed following their unwanted adventure, but declined any treatment and immediately headed off in the 4X4 to the caravan park where they were staying.

A Humber Coastguard spokesman said the incident was different to most rescues carried out at Holy Island, usually caused by drivers ignoring warnings signs about incoming tides or taking a chance on getting across the partially flooded causeway to the mainland.

"This is the first time in more than 10 years tat I have ever heard of circumstances like this, involving a car going onto the causeway by mistake from the mainland.

"This couple were heading for Haggerston Castle but the woman driving the car took the wrong turn for Beal, carried on and found herself driving through the dip in the causeway which was flooded with water.

"They got out made their way to the refuge and their son then arrived in his 4x4 and waded out to join them.

"The police moved the 4x4 with the couple's young grandson in it, back from the water's edge and the three people in the refuge were brought ashore by the lifeboat.

"Apparently, the couple missed the signs telling them they were about to enter the causeway causeway and did not see the water until they were in it."