A young man had to be pulled from the water by search and rescue teams after falling into a river during the New Year celebrations.

Kent Search & Rescue crew members saved the man from the River Medway in Maidstone in the early hours of this morning.

They received a call at 1.50am that he had got into difficulties and fallen into the water.

The crews, which were already patrolling the river on New Year's Eve on the last of the team's Safe and Dry patrols for 2018, were on the scene in less than a minute.

Duty search manager Stuart Kenny said: “It is unclear how he came to be in the water but our crews were on scene almost immediately and helped pull him out.

"He was treated by our medics before being handed to the ambulance service.

“The man had enjoyed a night out and this incident highlights the risk of being around water after alcohol.

"He was extremely lucky that search and rescue teams were patrolling the river."

Kent Search and Rescue safety patrols were launched in December 2017 as a direct response to a growing number of deaths of young adults - particularly men - after a night out and involving alcohol.

The Safe and Dry campaign is designed to raise awareness and encourage revellers to avoid walking home by water, and to look after their friends following a night out.

Over this Christmas period in Kent, KSAR has patrolled stretches of River Medway around Maidstone where teams have dealt with suicide attempts, an assault victim, several mental health incidents and a suspected heart attack.

The ambulance service has been contacted for further information.