TWO teenage girls were rescued from an island by fire crews, after they had spent 'the evening cooling off in the river'.

At about 6.50pm yesterday June,20 appliance from Carlisle East, Carlisle West, and Brampton, were mobilised to reports of persons stuck in the river at Wetheral.

Crews discovered that 2 teenage girls had become stuck on an island on the far side of the river, having spend the evening cooling off in the river.

Specialist Swift Water Rescue Technicians waded out to the casualties, and brought them to safety using an inflatable raft.

A spokesman for Carlisle East said: "It might seem a good idea to cool off in the river during sunny weather, but our waterways are extremely dangerous places. Please do not enter the water if you are unsure how deep it is, how far it is flowing, unsure of the underwater features, or if you are not a strong swimmer."

"This incident could have been avoided. During the course of this incident our fire appliance was also blocked in down a narrow road by a poorly parked car with its wheel facing out into the roadway.

"Please could we ask the public to ensure that when you are parking vehicles, always ensure that you are leaving plenty of space for Emergency Service Vehicles to pass. Fortunately this did not affect the outcome of this incident."