Calls have been made for stronger measures to stop people entering the sea near an already prohibited area.

It follows the rescue of a 14-year-old who had gone into the water at Kingsdown rifle range to try and save his friend.

A heroic dad-of-two from Deal who pulled the teenager to safety, told KentOnline the boy was in the freezing water wearing only boxer shorts.

The youngster told him he had jumped in to help his 15-year-old friend who had become trapped behind the broken sea wall before finding himself in the same position.

With bleeding toes, fingers and scratches on his stomach, the older boy who had managed to escape raised the alarm by screaming for help from the top of the rocks, adjacent to the out of bounds Kingsdown Rifle Range.

The 31-year-old man, who is not being named, had been kayaking with friends and his young family on the nearby beach, ran to assist.

The frightening experience has prompted him to share the ordeal to raise awareness of the dangers of the area.

He is also calling for a deterrent and improved location markers.

The man said: “He told us be thought he was doing to die.

“It was quite an eye opening experience, to see someone that helpless. He was just gripping on to the wall by his fingers.

“I’ve never been in trouble in the sea but it made me think how badly it could have ended, had we not been there.”

The 15-year-old screamed out that his friend was trapped which alerted the group to the incident.

The rescuer’s partner called for an ambulance initially reporting that a boy was trapped in the rocks before three men from the group discovered him clinging to a wall ledge.

The man said: “We went up to see what was going on. He was just in boxer shorts and he was bleeding. He said his mate was trapped.

“We were looking down in the rocks thinking he was trapped between them then we went round onto the wall and saw he was in the water about 15 metres away just gripping on.

“I was going to get in but was told not to. Luckily there was a ledge for him to hold on to.

“He was lucky that the sea was at the level it was otherwise the ledge would have been covered up.

“We asked him if he could make his way round to the edge of the rocks.

“It was a rough day. The sea was rising up against the rocks and going over our heads.

“Where he was gripping on, the sea was pushing him up and down against the wall cutting his belly.

“The lad managed to come over to us.

“I leant down and grabbed his hand and pulled him up the rocks. The rocks were covered in seaweed making them all slimy. They were so slimy he slipped around.

“I had some beach shoes on with good grip and held his hand over the rocks until he was out.

“He was freezing cold, shaking and you could see he was in shock.”

The group invited both boys into a campervan to warm up while they called their parents and waited for them to arrive.

Meanwhile, the ambulance was cancelled although it is understood the 14-year-old was later taken to hospital by his parents after complaining of chest pains.

It is the second incident on the site in recent years, following the death of Nicholas Warren in November 2015.

He entered the water to rescue his six-month-old labrador who had followed an imaginary ball into the sea but was unable to clamber out.

Now, the 31-year-old wants the Ministry of Defence (MOD) which owns the land, to take action to secure the area in some way. Holes in the fence and open gates make the site easily accessible.

He said: “There needs to be more of a deterrent to stop people getting up on the wall and doing this.”

An MOD spokesperson said: “Kingsdown Rifle Range is private land and access is only permitted along the Public Right of Way.

"We take public safety very seriously, and we are considering ways to improve the safety of the site.”