A wayward cow's dip in the North Sea ended up launching a full-scale search and rescue operation.

Lifeboat crews from Amble, Northumberland, set sail in three metre swells and near gale-force conditions after the animal was seen battling waves further up the coast, north of Boulmer, late on Thursday afternoon.

It was spotted by a member of the public, who alerted Humber Coastguard at around 5.20pm. The rigid inflatable inshore lifeboat Rosemary Palmer was first sent to try to locate the seaborne bovine and attempt to herd it back towards the beach.

But with darkness coming down and conditions rapidly worsening, it was decided that the all-weather lifeboat The Four Boys should also be sent out to escort the smaller rescue vessel.

Under directions from local Coastguard teams, both boats searched the area in breaking seas for over an hour with no success until they were stood down by controllers on Humberside.

Coxswain John Wingfield said: "Conditions were on the operational weather limits for the inshore boat.

"On steaming south for Amble she had to tuck very close in to the stern of the all-weather boat so that the larger vessel could take away some of the weight from the seas breaking over them."

Amble RNLI spokesman Rodney Burge said the call-out was one of the oddest in recent years.

"We've been asked to rescue dogs and even a horse in the river at Alnmouth, but this is the first time we've turned out over a cow in danger," he said. "The message from the Humber Coastguard did make me scratch my head a bit, but we never refuse a call.

"The conditions on the night were very rough, with a strong wind behind 11ft-high seas."

The crews returned safely to Amble at 10pm. Unfortunately for the cow, however, it is most likely to have drowned.