FIVE people spent the night stranded on a North-East beach after their off-road cars got bogged down in sludge.

Four of multi-terrain vehicles got stuck as each one was called out to rescue the other.

The drama started at 1pm on Sunday when teenager Ashley Jackson, who was out fishing, went searching for his missing dog only for his vehicle to become stuck axle-deep in wet mud The 19-year-old, of Bishopton, Stockton, summoned help in the shape of friend Matthew Whitehead, also of Stockton, who rushed to his aid in an Isuzu Trooper.

But the 23-year-old farmer also got stuck in the mud.

At around 5pm the stuck-in the-mud trio phoned friends and the cavalry arrived once again in the form of 19-year-old Kasey Dixon-Grainger.

It was midnight before he arrived at Grants Houses, near Horden, Peterlee in his father's LandRover, but he also got stuck.

Mr Dixon-Grainger called his parents to explain what was going on.

They went to help and got onto the mud flats via Tenth Street, in Blackhall, near Peterlee, but also got stuck.

Fire crews said it would be impossible to recover all of the vehicles because of access problems and advised the drivers to leave their vehicles on the beach.

The group did not want to abandon their motors and spent the night inside their vehicles until a recovery tractor was able to haul them out at 9.30am on Monday (JAN 21).

Mr Jackson said: "I just laughed because every time I go somewhere muddy, I get stuck."

Jack Russell Sparkie was found safe and well.