A woman has been rescued after being swept out to sea off the Suffolk coast.

Yesterday, the RNLI lifeguard team at Southwold North launched to rescue a stranded swimmer.

The woman had been swimming at the beach when strong winds pushed her out of her depth to the north of Southwold pier.

RNLI lifeguards entered the water and helped the woman back to shore.

When on land, an ambulance was called due to the large amount of water swallowed by the woman, but she has now made a full recovery.

Arna Tolliday, lifeguard supervisor, said: "It was great the woman chose to swim at a lifeguarded beach as the HM Coastguard alerted us as soon as she found herself in trouble, meaning we were quickly available to assist.

"It was vital that the woman stayed calm after she’d been swept out to sea. We encourage people to do the same if they find themselves struggling in the water and follow our Float to Live advice."

The RNLI is reminding people that if they find themselves struggling in the water, they should:

Fight your instinct to thrash around

Lean back, extend your arms and legs

If you need to, gently move your arms and legs to float

Float until you can control your breathing

Only then call for help or swim to safety