COASTGUARD teams had to be scrambled to rescue an RSPCA inspector who fell and broke a leg on the Yorkshire coast.

The inspector was tending to a seal just below below Raven Hall Hotel golf course at Ravenscar, near Whitby, at about 8pm on Sunday and the rescue took around three hours.

Scarborough and Burniston coastguard teams helped the Ravenscar team and the coastguard helicopter was called. So too were Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

The helicopter lowered a paramedic to the casualty, who was then airlifted to Hull Royal Infirmary.

A spokesman for Scarborough coastguard said 12 volunteers were involved and added: "We wish the RSPCA officer a speedy recovery."