A lifeboat crew rushed to the rescue of two snorkel divers who were reportedly in trouble off the north Norfolk coast.

But upon arrival at the scene it became clear to the Sheringham team that the only creatures in distress were captured shellfish.

The lifeboat was launched on Thursday (July 28) at 2.45pm after being called into action by the Humber coastguard to a location off Weybourne.

Members of the public had reported seeing two snorkel divers stuck in a position off shore and struggling to stem the tide and return to shore.

After the crew arrived at the scene it became apparent that the stricken divers were in fact a pair of crab pot marker buoys.

The lifeboat stood down and had returned to the station by 3.25pm.

While the call-out was a false alarm, a spokesperson for Sheringham Lifeboat Station urged the public "a genuine mistake is always better than a life lost".