A PENSIONER had to be rescued from the sea after he became trapped by the tide with the sea lapping round his neck.

The man went for a walk on the beach and was making his way from Broadstairs to Ramsgate when he became trapped.

The alarm was raised after a passing fishing vessel spotting him waving his arms just before 2.30pm on Sunday.

A spokeswoman for Dover Coastguard said the man realised he was in trouble. She said: "It's a good job the fishing vessel came along therwise things might have been much more serious.”

The spokeswoman said the man was believed to have learning difficulties and had informed his carers of the route he was planning to take.

She added: “He was soaked up to his neck when the lifeboat arrived to pick him up. He was very cold and wet but otherwise unharmed."