TWO teenagers were taken to hospital for checks after getting into difficulty in the River Mersey on Sunday night.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service's marine crew and an appliance from Bromborough were called to the river bank at the bottom of Bedford Road East, Rock Ferry by a member of the public at 8.55pm, who said that a 16-year-old was in distress.

But by the time the fire service had arrived, he had been helped to safety by his 17-year-old friend.

Both were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital for precautionary checks. They had been part of a group playing on the riverbank.

A spokesman for the coastguard told the Globe: "We got a call from the fire service, acting on a call from a member of the public.

"But when we got there, the child had gone".