Two men rescued from the river mouth at Camber after going to the aid of a dog

Rye man Andy McConnell, who witnessed the incident, said: “The dog, a grey spaniel, had been walking on Camber beach with a group of six adults when it jumped over a barrier into the Rother Rother at the point where it meets the Camber beach.

“The dog was unable to scale the 12 foot steel harbour walls and paddled valiantly against the tide then following fast into the sea. The men removed most of their clothes before lowering themselves into the fast-flowing water, grabbing the dog and holding onto the wall.

KT Bruce, of Rye Harbour RNLI, said: “On Saturday afternoon 5 March at 3.39pm, RNLI Rye Harbour was tasked to attend two males in the water who had gone in after their dog. The boat was afloat by 4.12pm.

“There was a need for urgency as the water was very cold and the tide was going out. By the time the lifeboat arrived, the dog had been rescued and was safe on the shoreline: rather soggy and bedraggled, but safe. The two men had managed to scramble onto a small ledge but were cold and shivering and had cuts to their legs.

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“They were taken on the boat swiftly and brought back up the river to the lifeboat station and checked over. They were very cold and very grateful to be safe.

“One of the gentlemen said ‘Our spirits soared as we saw the orange of the RNLI boat coming towards us down the river. The smile the young lady gave me lifted me so much as she helped me on board. We know that we were lucky to be saved and cannot thank the RNLI enough for their speedy response to our distress call. We know that they do an amazing job and now we have experienced it first-hand. They have been so kind: a big thank you for everything you have done.’”

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An appliance from Rye Fire station was deployed with other resources from Hastings and Battle on stand-by if needed.

Dan Channon, Station Commander at Rye, said that it was always good to know how well all the emergency services work together in difficult situations.

SeCams, South East Coast Ambulance Service, was also in attendance and checked over the casualties who were warming up at the station.

Lifeboat Operations Manager Paul Bolton spoke to both men and said the best thing to do when a dog has entered the water and was in trouble was to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard who would request help from the correct emergency services. He said all people should stay on the shore and call their dogs in a calm and reassuring manner. Entering the water on a cold day like today when the water was freezing, and the tide was going out, could so easily have ended in disaster.

KT Bruce added: “The whole process of saving lives at seaon Saturday was speedy and professional and the boat crew were supported on this task by tractor drivers Iain and Gary and James A and Jack as shore crew. Chris King was Deputy Launching authority and the crew comprised of Tim D, Luke, Lucy and Brendan. Once again team Rye drew on their RNLI training and their own dedication, and the end result was a successful rescue.”

The lifeboat is pictured here taking the two men back to the safety of Rye Harbour. Picture KT Bruce.

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