WALTON lifeboat was called out to help a man whose face had been severely injured in an accident involving an electrical grinder.

The 28 year-old Dutch man was working on tug boat Sea Echo at the London Array Offshore Wind Farm, 12 miles off the coast.

The disc of the angle grinder he was using shattered, with the shards flying off and cutting the man's face.

Walton's new lifeboat was called to meet the tug five miles off the Naze, where the casualty was taken onboard.

The crew rushed him to Harwich lifeboat station, where they were met by paramedics and Walton coastguards.

He was taken to Colchester General Hospital for more treatment.

The incident happened on Thursday May 12 at about 7.35pm.

It marked the first official call out for the new £2.7million lifeboat in Walton which arrived just over a month ago.

A spokesman for the London Array Wind Farm said: “The tug was not directly involved in any construction activity on the wind farm at the time, but a full investigation into the incident is now underway.”

The man has been moved to Chelmsford Hospital for more treatment.