An emergency Mayday button saved the life of a lone yachtsman who got into difficulty off the Thanet coast on Wednesday evening.

The 57-year-old was attempting to sail from Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex to Calais when he fell ill at around 6.30pm.

He was able to activate an emergency button, alerting the emergency services to his location.

Dover Coastguard made contact with the yachtsman, who confirmed he was drifting in and out of consciousness.

A rescue helicopter from Wattisham, which was in the area at the time, was scrambled and the Margate offshore and inshore lifeboats were also used.

The sailor was taken by air to the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate for treatment.

Frank O’Neil, watch manager at Dover Coastguard, told kmfm: “He pressed his May Day button because he was too weak to shout for help.

“If you issue a Mayday call it means ‘I’m in grave danger and require immediate assistance’, so it is not a word you use lightly.

“Fortunately we were able to pinpoint exactly where he was and be very focussed in the way we used our resources.”