A drunk man who was floating on his back fully clothed underneath Clacton Pier was rescued by beach patrol members last week.

The man was spotted drifting under the pier, around 50 to 70 metres offshore at around 5.55pm on Tuesday, June 1.

Experienced Tendring District Council Beach patrol member Danny Ayling lost sight of the man as he went under the pier and the team launched a rescue board.

With Darren Garrod on the board, assisted by Danny and Olivia Whyte on shore, the team found the man after a five minute search.

The crew reported he was extremely intoxicated, freezing cold, and struggling to keep his head above the water, and was fortunate to be on his back.

Once back on shore the man was checked over by a first aider and, apart from being intoxicated, was found to be otherwise unharmed.

He was then asked to leave the beach area for his own safety.

Alex Porter, Tendring District Council Cabinet Member for Leisure and Tourism, said while the Essex Sunshine Coast was a beautiful place to visit – the sea had to be treated with respect.

“This gentleman has had a lucky escape, and I feel that if our Tendring District Council Beach Patrol team had shut at the scheduled time the outcome of this incident could have been so different,” Cllr Porter said.

“TDC Beach Patrol do a fantastic job through the spring and summer to make our coastline and popular beaches as safe as they can be, along with our partners such as the RNLI and the Clacton Volunteer Lifeguards."

The RNLI has announced its top tips on how to stay safe at the beach this summer.