Revellers who go for a late night dip have been given a stark warning: Don't drink and drown.

Margate coastguard Pete Overton said: “Late night swimming is something that people indulge after they have been out - but it can be potentially life threatening and I would urge anyone thinking of doing this to think twice.

“Alcohol impairs reactions and the cold night-time sea and air temperatures are pretty unforgiving. Having a quick dip may seem to be a bit of a lark but it only takes a few minutes in the water before your strength is sapped so much that you are unable swim to shore."

Inflatables pump up incidents The last 12 months has been one of the busiest periods for the Margate coastguard rescue team for some years. They dealt with 112 casualty incidents including two deaths.

Mr Overton said the bane of the service remains people on inflatables who do not heed the wind or current and quickly get swept out to sea.

The naked truth: The discovery of a pile of clothes on the foreshore led to fears that someone had drowned. Then a man told police he had been practising yoga naked on the beach and had gone home, forgetting his clothes.