A 70-year-old pensioner died after getting into difficulties while swimming off Whitstable.

The man was in the sea off West Beach on Thursday afternoon when the problems started and he began calling for help.

Onlookers called the coastguard and another man went into the water to try to help.

When the emergency services - police, coastguards, the Kent Air Ambulance and a land ambulance - arrived just before 6pm, he was already out of the water.

The man was taken to the Kent and Canterbury Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

He has not yet been formally identified and his name has not been released.