A WARNING has been issued about the danger of not wearing a lifejacket after a kayaker was rescued by lifeboat crews off Jaywick.

Clacton RNLI's D Class lifeboat was called to the aid of the man, aged in his 40s, who was in the water close to the breakwater rocks near Jaywick Post Office, at about 7.40pm on Saturday.

The volunteer crew was called to the scene by the UK Coastguard following reports that two men had capsized their kayaks.

But on arrival, it was discovered that one of the men had made it ashore and was being cared for by the Clacton Coastguard's mobile unit.

Crew spokesman Richard Wigley said: "The other man was seen still clinging to an upturned, half submerged kayak.

"As he was not wearing a lifejacket it was imperative to pull him quickly aboard the lifeboat.

"As the man was suffering from the effects of exposure and immersion in the sea, it was deemed prudent by the casualty care trained crew to return to the lifeboat station with the man and transfer him to the care of the ambulance service for further assessment."

He added that the crew later returned to collect the kayak and paddle, which was handed over to the coastguard to be reunited with its owner.

Helmsman Eddie Vaughan-Chatfield said: ‘We had a good outcome from an incident that could so easily have gone the other way.

"I would like to stress the importance of wearing a lifejacket for all craft, they will not only keep you afloat, but just as importantly reduce the risk of panic, reducing the risk of drowning.

"The RNLI is currently running a campaign called Float to Live, which is aiming to reducing drownings by making people aware that if they fall in the water, try to resist your initial instinct to thrash around - just lean back, extend your arms and legs and float until your breathing is under control, only then try and call for help or swim.

"This will reduce the chance of ingesting lots of water and inevitably drowning."

Earlier in the day Clacton's Atlantic Class lifeboat was launched to the aid of a ten-metre yacht that had run aground about ten miles south of Clacton Pier.

Mr Wigley added: "Once the welfare of the skipper and their yacht had been checked, the skipper was happy to wait and float off on the next high tide."

For more details on the Float to Live campaign, go to rnli.org.uk.