Coastguard teams rushed to save a person stranded in waist-high water in Chalkwell today.

The first informant, who had rang 999, kept eyes on the casualty while standing next to Emergency Phone 16 on the seafront.

Whilst Southend Coastguard headed to scene, Southend RNLI launched their D-Class ILB lifeboat.

One they'd arrived, teams were quickly able to establish it was a fisherman who was fishing in the sea and confirmed they were safe and well. 

Both Southend Coastguard and Southend RNLI were then stood down and returned to station. 

A spokesperson from Southend Coastguard, said: "Should you see anyone in trouble on or near the coast, don’t hesitate to dial 999 and ask for the coastguard- you could save someone’s life."