AN 18-year-old man nearly drowned after falling off the back of a boat on the River Medway on Saturday night.

Thames Coastguard was alerted by another nearby vessel, the yacht Chrita Deana, at 7pm about the incident at Stangate Creek.

The teenager was taken ashore and met by the Sheppey coastguard and Kent ambulance.

They assessed that his condition was deteriorating due to hypothermia and near drowning, and he was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital.

Sheerness RNLI Inshore Lifeboat was requested to pick up his partner from the boat, and she was taken to the hospital to be with him.