A car seen 'floating' down the river near the Pandora Inn with two people inside, sparked a major rescue operation involving teams from the coastguard, lifeboat, police and fire and ambulance services on Sunday afternoon.

The emergency services sprang into action following a report of a car in the water and it wasn't long before a multi-agency response was in full flow. This included fire crews, including the water rescue units and rescue tender, from Falmouth, Truro and Tolvaddon stations.

It wasn't long, however, until the truth was revealed and they were all stood down and return to their respective stations.

The Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team reported on their Facebook page: "On scene, the ILB (inshore lifeboat) had arrived at the same time as the first arriving Coastguard rescue Officers and quickly identified that the vehicle in question was in fact an 'amphibious' vehicle and was being tested by its new owners.

"Once it had been established that all was well, all oncoming units were stood down. Coastguard Rescue Officers from Falmouth met with the occupants of the vehicle and gathered some details and passed on some safety information.

The vehicle was well equipped with life jackets and other safety equipment and the owner was well experienced in 'boating'." The vehicle, a Dutton Surf 4x4, is capable of around 5.8 kts on the water and around 70 mph on the road. It is based on a Suzuki Jimny 4x4.

The coastguard team added: "Certainly a false alarm with good intent, as the caller had seen exactly what they described and as you can see - it does look very much like a car in the water."