- Member of the public spotted the object in the sea – thinking it was a parachutist
- Two RNLI lifeboats, the Sunderland and Seaham Coastguard teams and the Coastguard rescue helicopter were called out just after 3.30pm yesterday
- But when the rescue teams drew closer, they soon realised it was a balloon
- However, they did recover the object to avoid any further calls from the public
A child’s Spider-Man balloon sparked a major rescue operation after a member of the public reported a parachutist in the sea.
Two RNLI lifeboats, the Sunderland and Seaham Coastguard teams and the Coastguard rescue helicopter were called out just after 3.30pm yesterday, when the alarm was raised about someone in the sea at Ryhope Dene.
But when the rescue teams drew closer, they soon realised it was a balloon and that nobody was in danger.
A child’s Spider-Man balloon sparked a major rescue operation after a member of the public reported a parachutist in the sea
Despite it being a false alarm, the RNLI recovered the object to avoid any further calls from the public
However, they did recover the object to avoid any further calls from the public.
An RNLI spokesman said: ‘On arrival, Coastguard officers spoke to the first informant, who pointed out the object some distance out to sea.
‘Using binoculars they managed to identify the object as a Spider-Man balloon.
‘The balloon was recovered by the lifeboat to prevent any further call-outs.
‘The incident was a false alarm with good intent and the person did the right thing to call us to confirm no-one was in danger.’
Two RNLI lifeboats, the Sunderland and Seaham Coastguard teams and the Coastguard rescue helicopter were called out just after 3.30pm on Sunday when the alarm was raised about someone in the sea at Ryhope Dene