A nine-year-old boy who went down a cliff to save a dog had to be rescued by coastguard officers.

The youngster, who is staying at Warden Springs Holiday Park at Warden Point, had gone after his aunt’s pet when he got into difficulty on Saturday morning.

Sheppey Coastguard officers were out on patrol when they came across his aunt at the top of the 120ft cliff.

Because it is not a sheer drop, the boy had been able to make his way down to reach the Staffordshire bull terrier. But he lost his shoes in the mud on the way and was unable to get back up.

Coastguard officer Henry Ranger carried him along the bottom of the cliffs and they drove him and the dog back to the park.

Mr Ranger said: “I carried him as he couldn’t walk any more because he had cut his feet after losing his shoes.”