A large group of children involved in last night's dramatic lifeboat rescue were saved after using their mobile phones as beacons.

Lifeboat crews who brought the 34 children and two adults to shore say the group were lucky to escape without serious injury.

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VIDEO: Dover's RNLI says this operation is one of the biggest it's seen.

They became stranded during a coastal walk in the vicinity of St Margaret’s Bay and Dover Harbour.

The group were on a half term trip organised by the Ahavat Yisrael Community Centre in Stamford Hill, north London.

Dover lifeboat launched at 9.27pm, and brought the youngsters safely ashore just after 11pm following a major rescue operation.

None required hospital treatment and they are today recovering from the ordeal.

UK Coastguard Senior Maritime Operations Officer Richard Cockerill said the children had been advised to use their mobile phones to help crews find them.

'When we received the call, Dover lifeboat, two lifeboats from Walmer, the Coastguard rescue helicopter and Langdon Coastguard Rescue Team were tasked to locate the school party from London.

"The group was advised to switch on their mobile phone lights to help us locate them."

Dover RNLI Coxswain, Mark Finnis, said: "The group were caught out by a rising tide. Thankfully the quick and well co-ordinated search and rescue response meant all 36 casualties were rescued and were lucky to escape without serious injuries, but they've had a traumatic experience."

VIDEO: Infra-red camera footage shows crews trying to find casualties

The all-weather lifeboat from Dover RNLI and both inshore lifeboats from Walmer RNLI were launched to take part in the search and rescue operation, alongside the Langdon Coastguard Rescue Team and the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter.

Volunteer crew members from Walmer RNLI were the first on scene and quickly found a group of casualties and helped get them to shore.

VIDEO: Message from Commander Matt Pavitt

But with four children still unaccounted for, crew of Walmer’s Atlantic 85 started to search along the cliffside towards Dover when the helm thought he heard shouting.

Taking off his helmet, Andrew Coe heard the shouts more clearly and the crew quickly found four children on the rocks.

The D class lifeboat moved in to pick them up and safely transported them onto the Atlantic 85 lifeboat which took them out to Dover’s all-weather lifeboat.

Alex Brown, winch operator for the UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Lydd said: "The FLIR (forward looking infra-red) camera was working fantastically so we were able to locate the group quickly.

"The majority were rescued by lifeboat however, we did land on some rocks to rescue five people and brought them back to Dover Coastguard station."

Deputy Launching Authority at Dover lifeboat station, James Salmon, said: "As we approach the summer with lighter evenings, this incident highlights how easy it can be to get cut off by the tide whilst out walking. The group also faced the dangers of cliff falls along this iconic stretch of coastline.

"Surprisingly, the biggest risk when enjoying our coastline can be activities such as coastal walking and running. It’s easy to get caught out by unexpected tides and waves.

"We encourage people to keep themselves safe and treat water with respect by staying away from cliff edges and areas prone to cliff falls, sticking to marked paths and checking local hazards and safety information, such as tide times, before setting out."

The community group that organised the trip will now hold an internal investigation into how the youngsters became stranded.

Members of Shomrim, a Jewish community safety organisation based in north London, thanked the coastguard and lifeboat crews for saving the children, who could have died if they were not helped in time.

A spokesman for the Ahavat Yisrael Community Centre said: "We are hugely grateful to the coastguard whose swift actions ensured that everyone was returned to the shore safe and well.

"A full internal investigation will be held to ascertain the facts and understand the lessons to be learned."

Chaim Hochhauser, Shomrim supervisor, said: "Volunteers were called by a group of people stranded near the Dover cliffs as night was falling.

"Several volunteers drove down from London to support the group and liaised with parents and families throughout the incident which thankfully ended well, thanks to the great work by RNLI and HM Coastguard."