FOUR girls stranded on a sea defence wall at Marine Drive in Scarborough were rescued and brought to safety this afternoon by firefighters using a ladder.

Fire crews were also called out to York's Parliament Street following reports of small children being stuck on a fairground ride, but they were no longer trapped by the time the fire engine arrived.

Meanwhile, a children's swing in a play area in Askham Lane, York, was damaged by a fire which was believed to have been started deliberately.

Crews were also sent to Stirling Road, York, after a motorbike caught fire, but the blaze was out by the time they arrived.