Lighthouse ordeal as couple locked inside
A COUPLE’S trip to take photographs at St Mary’s Lighthouse ended up in an emergency rescue after they were locked inside the attraction when staff went home without checking everyone had left.
Grandparents Vera and Barry Singh visited the lighthouse in Whitley Bay at around 3pm on Sunday, February 6, and had climbed to the top to get some shots of the stunning scenery.
But when the couple, from Whickham, Gateshead, came back down again just after 4pm they were shocked to discover staff and visitors had closed up and left for the day, locking them inside.
“When we came down everything was closed up and we were left in the lighthouse,” Barry, 57, said.
“My wife was really panicking and saying, ‘how are we going to get out?’
“Eventually, I found a fire exit and opened it and ran out to the front, but when we looked at the causeway the water was starting to come in quite high.
“Thankfully, I had left the fire exit door open and we were able to get back inside and get warm.
“We managed to put some lights on and found a heater, but the alarms were going off so my wife suggested we ring the police to say that we had been left in the lighthouse.”
The couple, who run their own shop, B&V Stores in Blaydon, said police told them they could send a helicopter, but not wanting to use a vital service, the pair decided to wait for the tide to go down.
At 10pm – after six hours of being stuck at the lighthouse – the pair were helped to safety by Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade.
Vera, 55, said she had called a number she found online for the lighthouse three times at around 4.17pm without any answer before deciding to call police.
“It’s still unbelievable what happened,” she said. “We are safe and well but it could have been a different story if we hadn’t been able to get back inside. It could have
been a very panicky situation for children, anybody elderly, or anybody who has panic attacks.
“When I went outside it was dark, all I could hear was the wind and the water was right up.”
The honest pair even left a note and money at the lighthouse to pay for the snacks and hot drinks they had while they were stuck inside.
Vera said she has informed North Tyneside Council about the incident and recommended that a phone be installed inside and outside of the building in case of emergencies.
“We want to thank the police and coastguard for their help and getting us safely back to shore,” she added.
“Thanks also to the police for calling and checking up on us which helped us to stay calm.”
Northumbria Police confirmed they received a call from the couple and said they “gave suitable advice to them and also contacted the coastguard on their behalf.”
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman said: “We logged this incident shortly before 7pm on Sunday, February 6. Following that, we sent Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade to a report of two people cut off by the tide at St Mary’s Lighthouse.
“The team assisted in walking the two people safely across the causeway, once the tide had gone out at around 10pm.” North Tyneside Council confirmed that it would be carrying out an investigation into the incident and said it was the first time anything like this had happened at St Mary’s Lighthouse in its 35 years as a visitor attraction.
A council spokesman said: “The volunteer life brigade alerted us to a couple who were stranded on the island.
“We have since spoken with the couple to offer our apologies for any distress this may have caused.
“We will investigate and we will take their recommendations onboard.
“St Mary’s Lighthouse is a hugely popular visitor attraction which draws 70,000 visitors each year and we have never had an incident like this before.”