A 41-year-old fisherman swept overboard in the Bristol Channel was rescued by Minehead's lifeboat crew after he managed to call coastguards for help.

And later crew members praised the casualty for taking all the right precautions before setting out on his trip.

The man, from Gosport in Hampshire, was fishing from a kayak in Blue Anchor Bay when he was hit by a succession of large waves which swept him off his craft.

With his boots filling with water, he was unable to haul himself back aboard.

But he carried a radio and was able to call coastguards to report his position.

Minehead' s volunteer RNLI crew launched just after 2.30pm on Monday afternoon and, despite a sud,den drop in visibility they quickly located the casualty clinging to the kayak some four miles east of their station.

Helmsman Paul Arnold said the man had spent no more than 20 minutes in the water by the time he was picked up.

"It wasn't exactly pleasant weather out there but this chap knows the local conditions well and often goes fishing at this spot," he said.

"It was just bad luck that a couple of waves caught him in succession like that.

"On the other hand he had taken all the right precautions for these conditions - he was wearing a dry suit and a buoyancy aid and he had some means of calling for help.

"That helped him cope pretty well once things started to go wrong.

"The fact that he also had all his tackle secured to the kayak meant that by the time we got them both ashore he had suffered no more than cold feet and the loss of some valuable fishing time.

"We only wish more people would follow his example and show respect for the sea whenever they go out on it."