A FISHERMAN had to be brought to dry land by lifeboat after being stung by a Weaver fish at sea.

The man was stung on the hand while fishing five miles off Sunderland's Roker Pier.

Volunteers from Sunderland RNLI were called away from their annual Lifeboat Sunday church service, at the city's St George's Church, to provide help, leaving the Deputy Mayor of Sunderland, Coun Thomas Martin, on the pews.

Two trained medics boarded the fisherman's boat and decided he should be taken to shore and sent on to hospital.

The man, from Sunderland, was given oxygen onboard the lifeboat to help stabilise his condition before being seen by paramedics on dry land and taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital for further treatment.

The incident happened at about 12pm yesterday(SUN).

Paul Nicholson, senior helmsman at Sunderland RNLI, said: "The hours that our volunteers have put into learning the new skills required to pass their RNLI medics qualification have certainly been worthwhile by being able to treat this fisherman and get him to shore to allow him to receive hospital treatment as soon as possible."

Weaver fish bury themselves in sand during the day, with stings most common in the hours before and after low tide and during the summer.

Stings have been said to be so severe that sailors have cut off their fingers or hands in a desperate attempt to relieve the pain; and some cases may be fatal, although only one UK death has ever been recorded - in 1927 off the Kent coast.