Port Isaac RNLI lifeboat sent to 'intoxicated' swimmer

The incident happened near Port Isaac on the north Cornish coast

A woman who swam out to sea at night after drinking alcohol was stranded clinging to a boat for two hours.

The woman, 25, had been trying to reach her boyfriend who was on a fishing boat in north Cornwall but could not get onboard as no one heard her calls.

After two hours, those onboard at Bossiney Haven woke up and found her in the water with hypothermia.

The Port Isaac RNLI Inshore Lifeboat took the woman to shore and the crew gave her safety advice.

The RNLI said the woman swam out to the fishing boat at 02:45 BST on Saturday but was too weak to swim back to shore when she could not alert anyone.

A spokesman said: "After a triage... she was deemed to be recovering from the effects of her ordeal and therefore just required continued gentle warming and 15-minute observations.

"The casualty was given safety advice about entering the water at night and whilst intoxicated."

The charity issued a warning after the incident, reminding people that even in the summer the water temperature is cold enough to cause cold water shock and lead to drowning quickly, and said the woman had a "lucky escape".