A MOTHER and her young son using a paddle board has to be rescued after they were blown 400 metre out to sea by the wind

The drama on the North-East coast unfolded at Seaburn, near Sunderland, on Wednesday at 12.20pm.

The woman and her eight-year-old were on a stand-up inflatable paddleboard but an offshore wind had blown them away from the shore and they were struggling to get back.

RNLI lifeguards Adam Blenkinsop and Andrew Brown were in the sea training at the time.

As they were already in the water, fellow lifeguard Joe Wilson at Whitburn asked them to attend as they were near the scene.

The pair launched their Rescue Water Craft while their colleague, Tom Hughes, paddled out with a rescue board.

The woman and boy were brought back on the boat and lifeguard secured their inflatable and brought it back in.

After receiving a casualty care check at the lifeguard unit at Seaburn, the mother and child were given the all-clear.

The lifeguards also chatted to them and shared some sea safety tips.

RNLI Lifeguard Adam Blenkinsop said: “Owing to our swift response, we were able to rescue the mother and her son before they drifted further out to sea into danger.

“Inflatables look like great fun but they can be very deceptive as if an off-shore wind takes hold, the craft can be carried far out to sea.

“We had the orange sock flying which indicates an off-shore or strong wind and no inflatables.

“We’d always advise people to respect the water by observing safety flags and visiting a lifeguarded beach.”