Seaham Coastguard

28/05/2026

May has been one of the busiest months on record for Seaham Coastguard. The team of volunteer rescue officers have attended 27 call outs so far this month. (66 taskings to date in 2026)

This month the team have responded to a range of emergencies that have included:

10 x Mental health incidents
8 x Medical responses
2 x Persons in difficulty in the water
2 x Missing children
2 x Persons cut off by the tide
2 x Cliff fall
1 x Deceased dolphin

A huge thanks to all our team who go out their way to attend weekly training and local patrols as well having full time jobs, yet still find the time to respond 24/7 to emergencies along the North East coast.

🚨 In a coastal emergency call 999 and ask for the Coastguard🚨

Our thanks go out to all our partner agencies across the region
RNLI - Sunderland Lifeboat Station Hartlepool RNLI Durham Constabulary Northumbria Police Cleveland Police North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust Great North Air Ambulance Service South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade (SSVLB) Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team Hartlepool Coastguard Rescue Team Redcar Coastguard Rescue Team County Durham & Darlington Fire & Rescue Service Cleveland Fire Brigade UK Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service & of course our rescue helicopter crews and Maritime Rescue co-ordination centres.

A special thanks also to the team at Seaham Harbour Marina for their excellent work and assistance.

23/05/2026

It's looking like a scorcher this Bank Holiday!

Check out our top safety tips to staying safe at the coast this Bank Holiday
https://hmcoastguard.uk/news/hm-coastguards-bank-holiday-weekend-safety-tips-could-save-your-life

Your Seaham Coastguard Search & Rescue Team
Jay, Carl, Tara, Andy (DSO), Micky, Max, Christine, Paul (SO)
(James and Jo not pictured)

‼️REMEMBER in a Coastal Emergency CALL 999 and ASK for the COASTGUARD ‼️

19/05/2026

HM Coastguard’s top tips for staying safe at the coast:

🌊Check the weather forecast and tide times before you set off
🐶 Keep dogs on leads while walking near cliffs
🪨Cliffs can be unstable so stay clear of cliff edges and bases
⚠️Watch out for warning signs for mud and never cross it as a shortcut If you do get stuck in mud, lean back to spread your weight
💨Avoid water sports when the wind is blowing from land out to sea
⏲️Tell someone where you are going and what time you’ll be back
📲Take a fully charged mobile phone and in a coastal emergency,
‼️CALL 999 and ask for the Coastguard ‼️

14/05/2026

Last weekend, recruits from across Area 5 completed the final phase of their New Entry Training.

These essential skills ensure our Coastguard Rescue Officers are trained in all aspects of Coastguard Rescue. These skills include Water Rescue, Lost & Missing Person Search, Casualty Care, Rope Rescue awareness, Setting up helicopter landing sites plus much more.

The weekend marked the culmination of weeks of hard work, commitment, and training in all weathers.

Seaham Coastguards two new recruits went live on Sunday night and have both now got a couple of taskings under their belt.

Welcome to the team Seaham 08 & Seaham 10

Remember if you see an emergency at the Coast
🚨CALL 999 and ASK FOR THE COASTGUARD 🚨

17/04/2026

A busy morning working alongside our flank team Hartlepool Coastguard Rescue Team

“ CALLOUT “

16-4-26. @03:48

Busy morning for the Team on Thursday. In very early hours the Team was alerted to assist Durham Constabulary in the search for a person on the beach at Horden.

Along with our flank Team from Seaham Coastguard a search was conducted from Warren House Gill to Blue House Gill. The Teams were latterly assisted by both Hartlepool RNLI lifeboats and specialist equipment was used to scan the cliff edges. After several hours the police informed the Teams that the subject had been located and the Teams were then stood down.

During this search we were tasked to an additional incident on the Headland at Hartlepool and two of the Team members was dispatched from Horden to assist.

With support from Cleveland Police , North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust , the Hazardous response team and Hartlepool’s inshore lifeboat providing lighting and safety cover, the incident was brought to a successful conclusion.

All the Teams were then stood down.



07-AH

03/04/2026

Yellow wind warnings have been issued by the Met Office for Scotland, Northern Ireland, parts of northern England, and north Wales on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 April.

Visiting the coast during strong winds can be dangerous, so it’s best to stay at home until conditions improve.

However, if you do find yourself at the coast, be mindful to:

• Check the latest weather forecast before heading out

• Stay well back from cliff edges, as strong gusts can suddenly push you off balance

• Avoid walking near the base of cliffs, which can crumble, and watch out for flying debris

• Carry a means of calling for help, such as a fully charged mobile phone

• Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to return

In an emergency at the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

27/03/2026

Coastal Emergency?

Like the police, fire and ambulance, the coastguard is an emergency service with the same 999 number, click the link below to find our more on what to do in a coastal emergency

Like the police, fire and ambulance, we’re an emergency service with the same 999 number.

03/01/2026

Please be cautious if visiting our coast this week.

The winter weather we have experienced today, has caused access paths, coastal car parks and cliff tops to be exceptionally slippery with large amounts of snow and ice present.

Higher than normal tides and large breaking waves is also causing an added danger of being accidentally washed off the beach or promenades.

✅ Check the weather
✅ Check the tide
✅ Keep dogs on leads
✅ Stay Back
✅ Stay Safe

🚨For all coastal emergencies CALL 999 and ASK for the COASTGUARD 🚨

31/12/2025

As we head into the New Year, we’ve been looking back at just a few of the most memorable moments of 2025

📟 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝟲𝟬 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 – 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝟯𝟬 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰📟

The team has attended a range of call outs including cliff rescues, persons in the water, dogs over cliffs, lost and missing person searches, ordnance, watercraft in danger and sadly an ever-growing number of mental health related incidents.

𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 has also welcomed two new rescue officers to the team. The new recruits have joined existing members in attending incidents, training sessions and technical rescue qualifying courses and always with support from our 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝟱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲.

In October the team starred on Channel 5’s Coastguard TV Series. The episode starred our DSO (Andy the Dog Whisperer) as he descended to the aid of a Dog that had fallen from a cliff.

During the new year we will continue striving to assist those in need, on and around our coast, working closely with flank teams Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team & Hartlepool Coastguard Rescue Team, our co-ordination centre Humber Coastguard, local lifeboats RNLI - Sunderland Lifeboat Station & Hartlepool RNLI as well as all the other emergency services.

As volunteers, all with full time jobs, we could not do this role without the support and understanding of family, friends, employers and everyone else whose lives go on hold when the pager sounds.

‼️🚨🚨𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿…𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝟵𝟵𝟵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱🚨‼️

Wishing you, your family, friends and colleagues a safe and prosperous New Year

SE Alpha - Paul
SE Bravo - Andy
SE03 - Tara
SE04 - James
SE05 - Jo
SE06 - Max
SE07 - Carl
SE09 - Jay

24/12/2025

Merry Christmas from all of us at Seaham Coastguard 🎅

Have a safe Christmas and remember for an emergency at the coast
Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard