Beach-goers jumped into action to help stop a VW Golf being swallowed up by the incoming tide.

The car was moments away from being submerged and dragged out to sea off the coast of Whitstable this afternoon.

Thought to have been a jet-ski launch gone wrong, the incident drew in a crowd near to the Hotel Continental.

With the aid of a 4x4, it was towed out of the water.

Passer-by and Labour parliamentary candidate Charlotte Cornell saw the drama unfold.

"It was about to get dragged out and would have been completely gone," she said.

"They struggled to get it out for about 15 minutes.

"When they eventually did, even the headlights were swimming with water."

Read more: All the latest news from Whitstable