Stunning images of a couple fighting for their lives as Storm Ciaran batters Britain have been captured by a former regional daily picture editor.

Quick-thinking Gerard Binks, formerly of The Yorkshire Post and now a freelance working in the north of England, was holidaying in Staithes, North Yorkshire, when he saw the drama unfold in front of him.

While taking snaps of the huge waves crashing into the harbour, he witnessed the couple getting washed into the sea and managed to get a series of remarkable pictures that have since been used on various news websites, as well as in the splash on yesterday’s Metro.

Standing on the opposite side of the harbour, Gerard could do nothing but look on as the amazing escape happened before his own eyes and the couple were picked up by the RNLI and taken away to safety.

Images taken by Gerard Binks show a couple fighting for their lives after being washed into the sea.

Gerard said: “I was fishing in the harbour and noticed the huge waves crashing over the harbour wall, so I got my camera out to do some weather pix.

“I noticed two people fishing under a red and black umbrella and thought they were brave, the next minute a big wave hit the wall and they were gone.

“I thought ‘they can’t of been swept into the sea’, and then, as I looked through the lens I noticed them in the water and managed to capture their amazing survival, I thought they were gonners.”

The Met Office has issued a series of warnings this week, with Storm Ciaran expected to sweep in high winds and rain across the country, right through to Thursday.

How Gerard’s images appeared on the front of Metro