A man who fell ill on a tug in the Thames Estuary was winched to safety after receiving life-saving treatment from police officers.

The police search and marine unit was patrolling north of Minster at about 11am on Monday when it was alerted to a medical emergency by the Thames Coastguard.

The 72-year-old man had collapsed on board and the police boat was first to arrive. Officers gave first aid until the coastguard helicopter arrived and airlifted him to hospital.

Inspector Dave Smith said: “I am convinced that the swift action of my officers has prevented serious harm from occurring to the casualty in what was a life-threatening situation.

“This is the first time we have worked with the Lydd-based coastguard helicopter and it is pleasing to see how successful our partnership was on this occasion.

"I’m also very grateful for the RNLI crew who attended to offer assistance.”