Wheelchair woman saved from sea

A 95-year-old woman has been rescued after she plunged into the sea in her wheelchair when her brakes failed.

The incident happened at the promenade on Lower Sandgate Road, Folkestone, at about 1400 BST on Sunday.

The pensioner was saved by a retained fireman from Herne Bay and a French man, who both jumped in and kept her head above water until help came.

Littlestone lifeboat crew arrived with Folkestone coastguards to pick the woman up and take her into Folkestone harbour.

A spokesman for Folkestone Coastguard said the pensioner's wheelchair had rolled down the sloping promenade and over a 25-feet drop into the water.

It appeared that the brakes had not been applied properly, he said.

The woman was given oxygen before being transferred by ambulance to hospital suffering from hypothermia and slight bruising.