EMERGENCY services, including a rescue helicopter, were called out on Sunday after two kayakers got in trouble near Port Seton.

Three lifeboat crews, three coastguard teams, a helicopter and an ambulance were called at about 11.10am.

RNLI teams from North Berwick and Dunbar were joined by colleagues from Kinghorn in Fife, with Coastguard teams from North Berwick, Fisherrow and South Queensferry also called into action, as well as a search and rescue helicopter, from Ayrshire, being called out.

Kinghorn lifeboat was first to arrive on the scene and found that the automated Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) alert had come from two kayakers, one of which had capsized and was in the water.

After rescuing both kayakers, a man and a woman, and their craft, the Fife crew continued to Port Seton Harbour, where coastguard teams and an ambulance crew were waiting to check the casualties for the effects of cold water exposure.

Neither kayaker required further medical assistance.

UK Coastguard stood down the Dunbar lifeboat at 12.55pm and the crew proceeded to escort North Berwick’s inshore lifeboat (ILB) back to their base in rapidly worsening sea conditions.

Dunbar’s RNLI crew had been conducting a routine training exercise near Belhaven Bay when they received the call.

The crew halted the exercise and quickly made their way towards Port Seton to join their colleagues.

A spokesman for the Dunbar RNLI crew said the result of the rescue was "greatly advantaged" by the kayakers carrying PLBs.

He said: "PLBs assist rescue teams in the speedy location of a casualty and offer an easy-to-use and invaluable addition to any seafarer’s safety equipment, alongside the more standard buoyancy aid, radio and phone."

Meanwhile, North Berwick Coastguard Rescue Team received a second call-out while returning from the kayak rescue.

The team of volunteers was requested to head to South Queensferry to help in the search for a missing person.

A spokesman for the Coastguard team said: "On scene, liaising with officers from Police Scotland Edinburgh Police Division, Coastguard rescue teams provided assistance, resulting in a positive outcome."