A beachgoer and members of Beach Patrol have been praised after a woman was rescued from the sea after getting into difficulty off Clacton.

Tendring District Council’s (TDC) Beach Patrol was alerted to the incident following a report to Dover Coastguard on Monday, 29 July, at about 2.05pm.

It is understood that the woman, aged in her 70s, had got into difficulty in the sea to the east of Clacton Pier and had been pulled from the water by a member of the public.

The Beach Patrol team was quickly on the scene, close to St Paul’s Road, alongside paramedics from the East of England Ambulance Service.

The crew then assisted their ambulance colleagues to provide first aid to the woman, including providing oxygen.

She was then left in the care of the ambulance service.

Mick Barry, TDC Cabinet member for Leisure and Public Realm, said: “I would like to praise the brave member of the public – alongside our team - for his quick response, which may have saved a life.

“It has been a busy start to the summer season for our Beach Patrol team and over the weekend our team removed 337 people from groynes, breakwaters and rocks and gave 150 people sea safety advice, including not to go out too far on inflatables.

“We want to encourage visitors to our coastline and hope they enjoy our beaches, but with the temperature picking up this week, we are urging people to back the RNLI’s ‘Respect the Water’ campaign by following advice from warning flags, and not swimming near, around or under piers or groynes.

“We help to reduce the risks with supervised beaches, thanks to our excellent Beach Patrol team – which gives advice and guidance, first aid, and also helps to rescue those who get into difficulty.

“Beach Patrol is not an emergency service and if you see someone in difficulty, please dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”

This year has seen a series of changes to improve Beach Patrol coverage, including lifeguarded beaches being marked with red and yellow flags.

Beach Patrol will be present in Clacton, Frinton and Walton from 10.30am to 5.30pm, until the end of Summer school holidays.

In Dovercourt and Brightlingsea, the Seafront Warden service operates from 11am to 5pm.

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