A 56 year-old man was rescued after suffering a medical emergency at West Beach.

In a major emergency response, coastguards, paramedics and the Devon and Cornwall air ambulance were all called to help the man, who had been taken ill at West Beach, West Bay yesterday at around 2.53pm.

Once on scene, coastguard officers from West Bay assisted the ambulance service who decided to transport the casualty to hospital via the waiting land ambulance rather than the landed aircraft.

"Once the ambulance and casualty had left the scene, officers kept the landing site secure and members of the public at a safe distance until the aircraft had departed," a coastguard spokesman said.

"The team was then stood down to return to station. We wish the casualty a full and speedy recovery.

"We wanted to thank members of the public for their patience whist the emergency services were dealing with the incident.

Have a fantastic time at the coast this summer. But If you find yourself in difficulty, or if you see something that gives you cause for concern then do not hesitate - dial 999 and ask for the coastguard."