Five crew members had to be rescued by an RAF helicopter following a blaze on their cargo ship off the North-East coast.

The vessel Rose Bank, a small coaster carrying fertiliser, caught fire on Friday night seven miles from the Farne Islands, off Northumberland.

The crew were airlifted by helicopter to Wansbeck Hospital, where their condition is not believed to be serious, a Navy spokesman said.

The protection ship HMS Anglesey received the distress call shortly before 11pm and arrived at the scene at 1am on Saturday morning.

HMS Anglesey is continuing to monitor the Rose Bank, which had been travelling from Dundee to the Channel Islands, to prevent it drifting away.

The Navy spokesman said its cargo was not believed to be hazardous.

An investigation is under way into the cause of the fire.