A pensioner had to be rescued by firefighters from a ditch after he fell down a riverbank in Hythe.

An 85-year-old man from Ashford was walking with his partner and dog along the Royal Military Canal, in Burmarsh Road, when the dog fell in the water.

Worried for his pet, the man attempted to reach the edge of the water to help the dog but became wedged in a hole.

Hythe fire crews were called to the scene at 4.45pm yesterday following a call that the man was trapped.

Wearing life jackets, officers used a 15m (50ft) rope line to reach the pensioner.

Watch manager Dave White said: "The man had gone after his dog. The thing is though dogs will always find their way out of water.

"When we arrived the man was stuck in a ditch in the bank, which was very steep. It was pretty much vertical.

"An able-bodied person would have struggled to get out.

"The man's fall had been broken by a tree.

"We tied a rope around a member of crew and lowered him down to the man. We then pulled them both up the bank, with the dog following."

The owner - who was deaf - was given oxygen at the scene by crews.

An ambulance was also called but the man didn't require medical attention.

Watch manager White added: "After all that the man was pretty tired, so the ambulance crew gave him and his partner and dog a lift back to their car!"

Do you know the man who fell? Contact the newsdesk by calling 01233 623232 or email kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk.