St Agnes surfer thanks RNLI crew for risking lives in rescue

Ben Dolman was plucked to safety by the Newquay crew

A young surfer has thanked an RNLI crew that rescued him after he was caught out in high winds and waves.

A crew from Newquay was sent to rescue Ben Dolman who was struggling in the sea off St Agnes.

Mr Dolman thanked crew members for "putting your lives at risk to rescue me from the water".

Newquay helmsman Andrew Trebilcock said Mr Dolman had been "fatigued and suffering from the cold" after almost two hours in the sea.

The rescue faced severe weather getting to the surfer

The Newquay crew were alerted just after 18:00 BST on Wednesday.

"Battling through severely rough sea" in winds of force 5 to 6, the team asked the St Ives Lifeboat to attend as back-up.

Mr Trebilcock said: "When we arrived, we could see the guy was fatigued and suffering from the cold."

He added the crew "could see sets of waves building and heading our way", before Mr Dolman was hauled aboard.

Mr Dolman posted on Facebook: "A massive thank you to your team and for putting your lives at risk to rescue me from the water.

"Massive appreciation for the job you do to keep everyone safe. Can't thank you enough."

The Newquay crew responded: "You're more than welcome. Glad we got you out unscathed."