A coastguard helicopter has had to be scrambled to a shoreline emergency.

After a 999 call from a member of the public reporting people in distress at Mermaid beach in Folkestone, the aircraft was dispatched from Lydd to assist rescuers and lifeboats.

Two people had to be winched to safety during the incident, which happened at around 6pm yesterday.

An ambulance service spokesman said: "I can confirm one ambulance crew attended the scene.

"Three people were assessed but were all able to be discharged from our care at the scene."