Coastguards are sending out a warning to sea goers thinking of setting off without the right safety equipment.

Don't!

The warning comes after a missing canoeist was rescued after an extensive search off the coast of Hastings on Sunday.

Dover Coastguard received a 999 call at 12:45pm from a man whose 30-year-old son had called him on a mobile phone to say he was very cold, lost and tired in a kayak somewhere off the coast.

Hastings RNLI lifeboats were launched but were unable to find him so the Coastguard fixed wing aircraft and Hastings Coastguard Rescue Team joined the search.

The Coastguard aircraft found him at 1:27pm in Fairlight Cove and a lifeboat recovered him and his kayak.

What should you do?Peter Legg of Dover Coastguard said: “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.”

Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson Julia Gosling said: “It is the beginning of the season and people should enjoy the water but they must make sure they carry the right safety kit.

“You need more than just a mobile phone and the man rescued yesterday did not realise he could have called the coastguard direct on 999 and saved more valuable time.

“The safety measures we are recommending do not just go for kayakers but anyone taking to the seas in anything up to a small boat.”