Three boys had to be airlifted to safety after becoming stuck 50ft up a cliff face at Clevedon.

The boys, two aged 13 and one aged 12, called 999 on their mobile phones at about 5.20pm on Saturday when they became stuck on a ledge on the cliffs below the Walton Park Hotel.

The trio had been walking along the foreshore from Clevedon Pier to Layde Bay when the weather started to worsen.

They tried to climb to safety up the cliffs to the grassed area next to the hotel, but became caught on the ledge.

The boys, who live in Clevedon but have not been named, were told by the coastguard at Swansea to shine the lights from their phones and shout until help arrived.

A team of eight rescuers from Clevedon coastguard station rushed to the scene but were forced to call out the rescue helicopter from RAF Chivenor after deciding it was too dangerous to scale the cliff and bring the boys to safety.

All three boys were airlifted from the rocks and taken to a makeshift helicopter landing pad at the Salthouse Fields.

The boys were then taken back to the coastguard station, which is based on the seafront, and reunited with their parents.

Clevedon coastguard station officer, Andy Hughes, who led the hour-long rescue operation, said: "Apart from being a cold and a bit embarrassed the teenagers were unhurt.

"However, they were given some words of advice by us and the police about the dangers of walking along the foreshore and the dangers of what can happen if the weather does deteriorate suddenly.

"These three boys were very lucky to be able to raise help on their mobile phones as the signal along the coast is usually pretty poor."