THREE wildfowlers had to be rescued by a lifeboat crew after they got caught out by the tide.

The trio got separated from four other people in their party when the tide came in and trapped them on Burntwick Island, a small island in the Medway Estuary, near Grain.

The lifeboat was dispatched from Sheerness at 12.20pm on Sunday and managed to get to the men by 1pm.

A coastguard helicopter was also dispatched as a precaution but was not needed in the rescue.

A spokesman for Sheerness Lifeboat Station, said: “The men were fine. They had just been cut off by the tide. We dropped them off with the other members of their party and they were happy to carry on with their wildfowling.”