A VIGILANT man has been praised for quickly calling 999 as he spotted an inflatable canoe rapidly drifting out to sea off Southend seafront.

A coastguard helicopter was launched alongside Southend's RNLI crew after the canoe was seen drifting out to sea with a strong offshore breeze and ebbing tide near Jubilee Beach.

The volunteer crew was on the scene within less than 20 minutes of being tasked with the incident on Thursday afternoon, after getting sight of the man offshore near Sealife Adventure. He was found unable to return to the beach, cold and without personal safety equipment.

Had the emergency call not been made, the RNLI team says the man would have drifted out of sight "within minutes".

A Southend RNLI spokesman said: "We would like to thank the vigilant man who spotted the canoe, he played a big part in saving the casualty.

"There was a strong offshore breeze pushing the canoe out to sea quite fast, the canoe would have been out of sight of shore within minutes."

The man and inflatable canoe were taken onboard the lifeboat and back to the shore where the coastguard rescue team were waiting. Thankfully, the he did not need immediate medical attention.

"An offshore breeze can easily catch people out," the spokesman added.

"The breeze might feel light on shore with protection from buildings and land, the sea state calm. The strength of the breeze becomes apparent the further out you go. Coupled up with an outgoing tide, the chances of getting safely back to shore reduce rapidly.

"Always check the weather forecast and tide times for the area you are visiting. Take a mobile phone and waterproof case if you are venturing onto the water. Know your limits. If you get into difficulties or see someone in trouble, call 999 and ask for the coastguard."