A member of the public has been taken to hospital after trying to help a rescue dog that was swept away in the sea in West Sussex.

The pet dog had entered the water near the mouth of the River Arun at Littlehampton at around 2.15pm on Monday before the rescuer jumped in after it.

Several people called the emergency services and the Coastguard scrambled its Littlehampton and Shoreham rescue teams along with the Littlehampton RNLI Lifeboat and South East Coast Ambulance Service.

Both the rescuer and the dog made it back to the shore, but the member of the public was taken to hospital as a precaution, the Coastguard said.

Connie Phelps, of the Coastguard service, said: “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.

“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.

“Please, don’t risk your life, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”

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