Paramedics have thanked quick-thinking people who saved a man from drowning in the sea off Deal beach.

A man in his 30s, who was not fully conscious, was pulled from the water by Deal Pier at 5.12pm yesterday.

Emergency services, including the air ambulance, were called to the scene. The man, who had already been removed from the water, was treated before he was taken to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford by road.

His airway had to be maintained and he had suffered a lower arm injury.

A South East Coast Ambulance spokesman said: "We were called to reports of a man in his 30s who had been pulled from the water. We sent to the scene an ambulance, joined by three paramedic cars and an air ambulance land vehicle.

"The man, who wasn't fully conscious, was treated at the scene, before he was taken as a priority patient to William Harvey Hospital. His airway had to be maintained because of the amount of water he had swallowed."

The spokesman added: "We thank those that pulled him from the water which gave him the best chance of survival."

The man's bags are believed to have been found opposite the Three Compasses pub in Beach Street.

It is not known if those who rescued the man were his friends or strangers.