A man in his 70s was the subject of a three hour search last night by rescue teams.

The man was spotted by fishermen launching a dinghy from a car with an attached trailer at Gillingham Pier slipway yesterday afternoon.

But, when they returned at about 9pm, the car and trailer were still there and the fishermen called the emergency services.

Sheerness Inshore Lifeboat and Medway Coastguard searched the shore for the man but were unable to locate him.

There were concerns the man may have been trapped on the dinghy as the tide was low at the time.

A Sea King helicopter was also scrambled from RAF Wattisham in Suffolk.

The man was eventually located aboard a friend's yacht just before midnight.

Richard Rodgers, deputy station officer for Medway Coastguard, said: "This was a genuine call from concerned fishermen and we were glad the matter was safely resolved.

"If a member of the public has concerns over somebody's safety then we would ask that they always call the emergency services."