An exhausted swimmer was rescued by a lifeboat half a mile out to sea - after betting friends he could swim the length of Southend Pier.
An RNLI spokesman said: "It appears the swimmer was just halfway through the bet when he became tired and ran into difficulties. His friends alerted us when they realised what was happening."
He was exhausted but did not require treatment.
The RNLI attended several similar incidents last summer, at a cost of hundreds of pounds each time.
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