A LARGE-SCALE rescue mission was sparked today, when a member of the public reported seeing a paraglider in distress.

Police officers, fire fighters, search and rescue teams, the coastguard and the RAF contributed to the search, at Fylingthorpe, near Whitby, North Yorkshire.

The alarm was raised at about 8.30am.

Rescuers later found the burnt-out remains of a Chinese-style paper lantern.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said: "This was a genuine call, made in good faith.

"We would ask members of the public to think carefully about when and where they use such lanterns."