Three praised by police after sea rescue at Llanelli beach

Supt Ifan Charles with Ciaran Phillips, Tom Williams and Morgan Discombe-Hughes

A student has been praised by police for his bravery after rescuing a man who fell off rocks into the sea.

Tom Williams ran into the sea at Llanelli beach while his two friends called for help.

The man, who had hit his head, regained consciousness and then made his way back into the water before being talked out again.

Dyfed-Powys Police said Mr Williams and his friends' actions "deserve the utmost praise".

The Bangor University marine biology and oceanology student said: "We were just sitting on the beach when we saw this guy walking across the rocks. We thought it was a strange place to be walking, then all of a sudden he fell.

"I ran over to check if he was ok, and he was unconscious with his head in the water. I managed to lift him out and turn him onto his back so I could make sure he wasn't bleeding."

However, within minutes the man had made his way back to the water. Mr Williams started talking to him in a bid to coax him to safety, while his friends called 999 for help.

'Quite frantic'

"I managed to talk him out of the water," said Mr Williams, from Felinfoel, Carmarthenshire.

"He came and sat next to me, and I was just talking to him about normal things - anything that came to mind. I'm not sure what I was thinking, I just knew I needed to do something.

"At first he was quite frantic, and he was obviously stressed, but then his whole mindset changed. He seemed to change completely - he looked out at the sea and said how nice the view was. That's when I knew he was ok."

Supt Ifan Charles said: "There's no doubt that this group of friends saved a man's life, and I would like to offer my sincere thanks for their help on that evening."

The incident happened on 23 June.