A drunk man suffering from hypothermia was pulled from the water after his rowboat capsized.

The man and his "inebriated" friend were rowing their tender to a boat moored in Queenborough harbour when it overturned, leaving them both in the water.

One managed to get onto the vessel but the other drifted. He managed to cling onto a trot used to moor boats while another tender with two more drunk people on board tried to reach him.

When they were unable to pull him from the water, Sheppey Coastguard and Sheerness lifeboat crews were called to help.

They received the call just after midnight yesterday, and the RNLI were able to rescue him.

A coastguard spokesman said: "The lifeboat recovered him. He was met by Sheppey Coastguards and ambulance crew.

"His core body temperature was low and he was hypothermic. He remained in the ambulance for 1.5 hrs and discharged himself.

"He had swallowed water and there was a risk a secondary drowning. At 3am he decided he would wake up the owner of the Trafalgar Public house and stay there the night.

"He was last seen outside the hotel wrapped in a silver foil emergency blanket."

Crews passed safety advice to the other crew member before leaving the scene.