A person has been taken to hospital after they attempted to rescue a dog that was being swept away by the tide.

The pet entered the water near the mouth of the River Arun in Littlehampton around 2.15pm yesterday, with a member of the public jumping into the water after it as the dog began to be swept out to sea.

Coastguard crews from Littlehampton and Shoreham, along with the Littlehampton RNLI and the ambulance service, were called to the incident after a number of people called the emergency services.

Both the person and the dog were able to return to shore, but the person was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Connie Phelps from the Coastguard warned the public not to put their own lives in danger in such circumstances and to instead call 999.

She said: “Around the UK’s coast, we respond to incidents where people have risked their own lives to save their dogs from the sea or cliffs, sometimes with tragic consequences.

“If your dog does get into difficulty at the coast, please don’t be tempted to rescue them yourself - call 999 and ask for the coastguard.”