Extreme weather sees elderly couple dragged out to sea in terrifying video

The pair survived the incident, after two different people helped them ashore

An elderly couple survived being dragged out to sea after a huge wave hit the beach they were walking on.

On the northern coast of France, an elderly man can be seen losing his footing before being pulled deeper into the water by a powerful surge.

His partner then attempts to rescue the man, only to be dragged into the swell too.

The couple, aged 75 and 76, can then be seen struggling in the water as a bystander, wearing a yellow jacket, comes to their aid.

Trying to raise them to their feet, all three are then pushed over by another large wave as it forces them to the shoreline.

The video then cuts out but local media reported that all involved survived.

Fortunately another passerby was at hand to rescue those in the water, with only the elderly woman reported to have suffered injury.

The incident occurred at Porsguen beach in Portsall, on the north-western tip of the French coast.

The extreme weather came as Storm Imogen battered the UK and the Channel, with winds reaching speeds of almost 100mph.

Wales and southern England were the worst hit areas, while Brittany Ferries cancelled crossings between south-coast ports and northern France.

Mike Reid, an RSPCA inspector, also went missing on Sunday evening after trying to rescue dozens of sea birds at a beach in Penzance.