Two kayakers rescued trying to reach Looe Island

The inexperience kayakers were trying to paddle to Looe Island, Cornwall in the dark in challenging seas

Two men have been rescued after attempting to kayak to an island in dark and rough sea conditions.

They were attempting to reach Looe Island in Cornwall, around one mile from the shore, on Monday evening.

The pair were described by HM Coastguard as inexperienced and in their late teens or early twenties.

One lost a paddle, capsized and was helped by the island's warden after swimming to safety, while the other made it to shore still in his kayak.

Rescue teams were dispatched to retrieve the men around 18:00 GMT.

The nature reserve is around one mile off the coast

Paul Fisher from Falmouth coastguard said the inexperienced kayakers were lucky to be unharmed, as ending up in cold water unexpectedly often goes "very wrong in the first two minutes".

He explained that for even those who get past "panicking and clawing at the water", the combination of severe wind chill and the low temperature of the water can cause body temperatures to plummet.

Mr Fisher said: "We often see incidents like this go wrong very quickly and sometimes with the most tragic of consequences.

"As always, please remain aware of sea conditions and your own abilities.

"Something like this is completely avoidable and at the moment it puts search and rescue teams at enhanced risk."