Search teams find lost canoeist

A missing canoeist has been rescued after an extensive air and sea search off the coast of East Sussex.

Dover Coastguard said it received a 999 call from a man reporting his son had called him from a mobile phone to say he was lost in a kayak off Hastings.

The man was located 45 minutes later in Fairlight Cove and brought to safety by the Hastings RNLI inshore lifeboat.

The 30-year-old had only bought the kayak on Saturday but had failed to equip it adequately, coastguards said.

Radio and flares

Peter Legg, of Dover Coastguard, said he had also failed to let anyone know when and where he was going.

"If you are taking to the water please make sure you carry some basic lifesaving equipment including a life jacket, a radio and mini flares.

"Let someone know what area you are sailing in so that you can be found quickly if anything does go wrong," he said.

The man, who was from the Hastings area, was treated for hypothermia once ashore, and then allowed home.