A bait digger was rescued from salt flats after being cut off by the tide - by raising the alarm on his mobile phone.

The 40-year-old man was cut off from dry land by the unusually fast and high spring tides. He tried to get back to shore between Dovercourt and Great Oakley but was stranded in mud on the salt flats with the water coming in.

But, luckily, he had his mobile phone on him and, as the winds whipped up, he called the emergency services for help.

Firecrews from Dovercourt station went to the man's aid but, as soon as they got there, they realised he was too far out from shore.

A lifeboat and coastguard were alerted at about 11am yesterday (Thursday).

A spokesman for Dovercourt fire station said: "We received a call from the man on his mobile phone, I think he was probably very glad he had it on him."

The Harwich inshore lifeboat collected the bait digger and dropped him off further along the beach towards Dovercourt.

A spokesman for HM Coastguard at Walton said: "He said he was a professional bait digger from Brentwood walking along towards Great Oakley when he realised he was cut off by the tide.

"Certainly in a situation like that if he did not have his phone, he would have been in serious trouble - hypothermia would have set in.

"The temperature yesterday (Thursday) was above freezing but it was cold and it would not have taken long before the wind and the cold would have started to take effect."

The spokesman advised anyone going to the shore to first contact the coastguard for information on tides and weather.

"People need to know what they are getting into. In this case the man was very lucky.

"The mobile phone has come into its own but I think he was still grateful for the help he received."

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