A dog walker had to be airlifted after he became stranded on a beach trying to rescue his dog.

The man, who has not been named, became cut off from the main beach by the sea at Birling Gap, near Eastbourne, on Sunday.

He had gone down to the beach after his dog fell from the clip top at about 11am.

The man's family sent out the alarm when he failed to return home from walking their two dogs on Sunday morning.

He had climbed down to the beach to rescue his stricken pet after it fell several feet. But as the tide rose, his path back to the main beach became blocked and he found himself stranded.

The man eventually flagged down a police helicopter, which had been scrambled to help search for him. He and one dog were lifted to safety.

Were you there when the man was rescued? Tell us what you saw.