A lifeboat crew were forced to launch a rescue operation after a campervan became stranded on a causeway in rising tides.
A couple had been returning from Holy Island across the causeway in Northumberland when the water began rising.
They escaped to a refuge box while waiting for Seahouses RNLI around 3pm on Saturday as the van became submerged up to its windscreen.
They were rescued from the refuge box and landed safely on the mainland side, where they were handed into the care of local coastguard officers.
Coastguard units from Seahouses and Holy island had also been mobilised.
Visitors to the islands are warned about safe crossing times, but the foreign couple were said to speak very little English.
Safe crossing times for March 23 were from 8.20am till 1.50pm, and unsafe to cross again till 8.50pm. High tide was 4.30pm, and it was a high spring tide.
Seahouses Lifeboat Operations Manager Ian Clayton said: “We suspect that language problems may have contributed to this incident.
“Fortunately both vehicle occupants were safely brought ashore and neither required medical assistance.”
