Two men rescued from the river mouth at Camber after going to the aid of a dog

Rye man Andy McConnell, who witnessed the incident, said: “The dog, a grey spaniel, had been walking on Camber beach with a group of six adults when it jumped over a barrier into the Rother Rother at the point where it meets the Camber beach.

“The dog was unable to scale the 12 foot steel harbour walls and paddled valiantly against the tide then following fast into the sea. The men removed most of their clothes before lowering themselves into the fast-flowing water, grabbing the dog and holding onto the wall.

KT Bruce, of Rye Harbour RNLI, said: “On Saturday afternoon 5 March at 3.39pm, RNLI Rye Harbour was tasked to attend two males in the water who had gone in after their dog. The boat was afloat by 4.12pm.

“There was a need for urgency as the water was very cold and the tide was going out. By the time the lifeboat arrived, the dog had been rescued and was safe on the shoreline: rather soggy and bedraggled, but safe. The two men had managed to scramble onto a small ledge but were cold and shivering and had cuts to their legs.

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“They were taken on the boat swiftly and brought back up the river to the lifeboat station and checked over. They were very cold and very grateful to be safe.

“One of the gentlemen said ‘Our spirits soared as we saw the orange of the RNLI boat coming towards us down the river. The smile the young lady gave me lifted me so much as she helped me on board. We know that we were lucky to be saved and cannot thank the RNLI enough for their spee