Two people were plucked to safety from a sandbank off the Norfolk coast after being cut off by the tide.

The rescue by Hunstanton RNLI hovercraft was the beginning of a busy afternoon for the crew.

Having found the two people on the Wreck Sands at Brancaster and got them on board at 2.45pm on Tuesday August 18, they were taken back to shore and dropped off at the beach into the care of the local coastguard team.

On the way back to Hunstanton, they joined a search for a missing nine-year-old girl at Old Hunstanton. An RNLI shore party searched the beach at Old Hunstanton and found the girl safe and well.

As this search was being carried out a report came from the coastguard that six people were cut off on Scolt Head Island.

Hunstanton lifeboat was launched to go to the island. The lifeboat launched and went to Brancaster, but on arrival it was confirmed that the people had managed to swim ashore, and all teams could stand down.