Two bicycles found on a beach sparked a New Year’s Eve search over fears people were struggling in the sea.
They were spotted on the shore near Newburn Bridge, Hartlepool, at about 01:30 GMT.
A coastline search operation was launched involving police, the coastguard and two Hartlepool RNLI volunteer crews, but no-one was found in the water.
The search comes as Hartlepool Coastguard Rescue Team said it attended 140 incidents and carried out 50 training exercises during 2025.