POLICE praised a group of teenagers yesterday for rescuing a four-year-old boy from a clifftop and saving his life.

John Purvis got into trouble when he ran ahead of his mother as they returned home from nursery, and ended up on the wrong side of a safety barrier, 60ft above a North-East beach.

He was grabbed by a group of six teenagers from a local school, who pulled him to safety as his mother, Alison, searched for the youngster.

Northumbria Police had called in a helicopter to help search the beach area at South Shields, South Tyneside.

Alison and her son had left Downhill nursery and John ran ahead of her, failing to stop at the usual spot.

His mother quickly called police when she realised he had disappeared, but he was spotted by three youths and three girls, aged 13 and 14, from Harton Technology College, who were visiting Marsden Cliffs.

A police spokeswoman said: ''John was in a very precarious position on the wrong side of the fencing along the cliff edge.

''He was hanging over the side and seemed to be trying to get down on to the beach below.

''The quick-thinking youngsters managed to grab hold of John and bring him back to safety behind the fence.

''The little lad was struggling and the teenagers had to hold on to him for his own safety.''

Inspector Mike Grinter, of South Tyneside area command, said: ''If these young people had not used their initiative and acted decisively to save this little boy, we could have been dealing with a tragic death."

The teenagers will be thanked by police for their rescue efforts at a meeting today, but the mother and son will not be present, as she has told police she did not want to speak to the media about last Wednesday's ordeal.