Helicopter helps rescue fishermen stranded by tide

The helicopter from Newquay was in the area for training when it spotted the men

A lifeboat crew has rescued two stranded fishermen and a dog from a Cornish beach with help from a coastguard helicopter.

The men were cut off by the tide near Lushington beach in Porthtowan on Sunday, with an eyewitness reporting that one man fell on to rocks and dislocated a shoulder.

The helicopter from Newquay, which was in the area in training, spotted the men at about 16:30 GMT and alerted colleagues.

Tom Bolt, from Falmouth Coastguard, said RNLI lifeguards from Porthtowan used an inshore boat to rescue the men before the helicopter's paramedic examined them while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

Mr Bolt urged the public to exercise caution when visiting the coast, especially as beach lifeguard patrols had ended for the year.

"Cornwall's got some amazing coastlines. However, please just check the tides beforehand," he said.

HM Coastguard said its rescue teams from Cornwall and St Agnes and Portreath also attended.