Lifeboat rescuers are mounting a campaign to save lives - after seven people lost theirs in the waters around Kent last year.

The charity is calling on the public to fight their natural instincts if they find themselves in trouble in the county's waters.

The RNLI warning comes as it's revealed seven people lost their lives in the seas around Kent last year.

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Although that is around average for the UK - Cornwall saw 21 deaths - it can take just a brief time for swimmers to get into trouble.

The charity says sudden immersion in water below 15C puts people at severe risk of cold water shock.

This triggers the instinctive but life-threatening reaction to gasp uncontrollably, thrash about and try to swim hard.

This reaction is the worst thing to do and can quickly lead to drowning as it increases the chance of water entering the lungs, increases strain on the heart, cools the skin and reduces buoyancy by letting air escape from clothing.

The RNLI’s advice is to float for around 60 to 90 seconds – the time it takes for the effects of the cold shock to pass and for you to regain control of your breathing.

The recommended floating position is to lean back in the water and keep your airway clear while keeping calm to maintain breathing levels.

Once calm, swimmers should then be in a better position to attempt to swim to safety or call for help.

But, even though the advice can be life-saving, the charity's research revealed it is anything but obvious to most people.

Only 3% of people quizzed cited floating as the first action they would take if they fell in to cold water unexpectedly.

Around 40% of respondents said their immediate reaction would be to swim, while 2% said they would panic – two of the instinctive responses the RNLI is urging people to fight.

Others said they would remove clothing (4%); do nothing (3%); hold their breath (1%), and 4% said they would not know what to do.

Figures released today by the RNLI show 162 people lost their lives at the UK coast in the last year alone.

With the charity’s national drowning campaign Respect the Water now entering its fourth year, this year the RNLI are calling on the public to fight their instincts.

RNLI Coastal Safety Manager Ross Macleod says: "Through our Respect the Water campaign, we want to start a national conversation about water safety.

"We’re asking the public to remember this lifesaving advice, share with others and practice the survival skill of floating – it could be the difference between life and death."