Saved by their mobile phones: Dozens of Jewish teenagers from London are rescued after using their handsets as distress beacons when trapped by the rising tide below the White Cliffs of Dover

A group of 34 Jewish schoolchildren got trapped on a beach as the tide rushed in during a disastrous hike last night but managed to guide in lifeboats and a rescue helicopter by waving their lit-up phones.

The teenagers, believed to be from Stamford Hill in north London, were stuck on a stretch of coastal path below the White Cliffs of Dover, known for deadly rock falls.

Extraordinary footage taken from a helicopter shows the lost students frantically waving their mobile at RNLI rescue teams while clambering around below treacherous cliffs as the tide rushed in.

The hiking party, which included two adults, raised the alarm with Kent Police at around 9pm after becoming disorientated as they followed a coastal path between St Margaret's Bay and Dover Harbour. 

RNLI rescuer Mark Finnis said today that the students were in 'high spirits' when they were picked up but within two hours they would have drowned while locals said the trek they attempted was so perilous master adventurer Bear Grylls would be too scared to try it.

The group, led by two adults, appear to have ignored several signs saying: 'The public are warned not to proceed beyond the beach because of the possibility of cliff falls and of being cut off by the rising tide.'

He said: 'They weren't scared, far from it actually. When they got on board they were in high spirits. I don't think they realised the situation they could have been in, say less than a couple of hours later.

'There was rising tide there and the water level goes right up to the cliff face. So they would have had real problems two hours later.

'They aren't familiar with the area. It would have been very inviting in the late afternoon when they set off.

'But they were totally unaware of all the dangers involved during that small trip. It is hostile ground, there are large rocks and they weren't dressed up for it.

'It is a dangerous area, there are regular cliff falls down there. There wasn't a lot of thought into it.'

The manager of The Coastguard pub, which is in St Mary's Bay, saw the group of 34 teenagers, accompanied by two adults, heading down to the beach late yesterday evening.