A seven-year-old girl came close to drowning in the sea at Walton-on-the-Naze yesterday as the coastguard issued a plea for people to take care in the water this weekend.

The air ambulance was called to the scene at around 3pm yesterday afternoon, but the girl had fortunately been resuscitated by her father before it arrived.

The girl was then taken to hospital by land ambulance.

It was one of 17 incidents Thames Coastguard was called to during yesterday’s hot weather.

These included a man suffering extreme dehydration, a dog having to be rescued from the water, as well as a number of incidents with jet skis and speed boats.

A Thames Coastguard spokesman said: “Unlike having a car, where you have to pass a driving test before you get on the road, you don’t need that with jet skis and speed boats.

“It’s an education thing.”