A coastguard has described the moment a man who had been exposed to "extremely cold water" was rescued in a multi-agency operation.
Missing man Mark Winterburn was found on the Burnham seafront on Wednesday (October 30) by coastguard crews.
In a Facebook post, Burnham Coastguard Rescue Team revealed details of the rescue operation which began in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Two teams of coastguards began the mission by searching the shoreline for clues such as footprints while lifeboats were deployed to search around Stert Island, Somerset Live reports.
Later that day at around 12.30pm, as the coastguard searched the sea and a police helicopter conducted an air search, a person was eventually spotted.
Coastguard crews confirmed the person was Mark Winterburn and established he was suffering from the onset of hypothermia after being exposed to the elements for nearly 24 hours.
They therefore made him as warm as possible before he was flown from Stert Island to Burnham Beach by helicopter.
He was then handed over to the ambulance service and the coastguard were soon stood down.
Burnham Coastguard Rescue Team wrote: "A busy but ultimately rewarding incident that includes finding a person who had been in the extremely cold water before being out in the bitterly cold wind for nearly 24 hours.
"The close multi-agency working resulted in an amazing find and one that we can all put in the win column.
"We send him our best wishes for a quick recovery.
"If you have any concerns for a person along the coast don't hesitate, dial 999 and ask for the coastguard."
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