Drowning man ‘lucky to be alive’ after dog spots him struggling in water and alerts owner

The man had fallen into the sea from a small transport boat

The barking dog alerted its owners to the struggling man and the coastguard was called in (Getty Images)

A man struggling against the tide was rescued after a dog spotted him in the sea and alerted his owner.

The man, in his mid-50s, had fallen into the sea from a tender- a small transport boat- near Royal Clarence Marina in Gosport on Saturday evening.

Due to stormy weather, he was swept around 300 metres towards Millennium Bridge where he was found clinging onto a post in the water.

The dog walker was crossing the bridge when she was signalled by her distressed pet’s continuous barking. She rang 999 when she heard calls for help from the water.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the BBC that her dog “just suddenly started barking, when she stopped I could hear somebody shouting for help so I called the coastguard”.

The woman added that she and her husband held out a flashlight while the coastguard searched for the man.

The coastguard sent a marine police unit, coastguard rescue team and Gosport and Fareham Inshore Lifeboat Service (GAFIRS) to help the man.

The man was pulled out of the water by the police, and GAFIRS lifeboat crews and the coastguard rescue teams assisted with first aid care until the ambulance arrived.

He was later released after being treated for hypothermia by paramedics.

GAFIRS coxswain James Baggott said: “The man is lucky to be alive.

“He was swept away from the tender and clinging to the pile and if the dog walker hadn’t raised the alarm the consequences could have been very different.”

This incident was the seventh of the year for GAFIRS, who are based at Stokes Bay in Gosport.