MINEHEAD lifeboatmen were forced to "manhandle" a late-night swimmer onto their rescue boat after he refused to let them come to his aid.

The man's family had called out the RNLI when he appeared to get into difficulty after going for a swim off the town's beach last Thursday night.

Two family members had tried to swim out to him and one had reached him by the time the lifeboat arrived.

But while the helper was only too glad to be hauled into the rescue boat, the swimmer - who was described as "excitable" by an RNLI spokesman - was adamant he would be able to swim back to shore unaided.

Crew member Harry Mouzouri said the man was a long way out and, although he could stand on the bottom, the water was up to his neck.

"He was in a rather excitable state and he insisted he would be able to swim back to the beach, but when he tried it was obvious he was making no progress at all against the current.

"We had no option but to jump over the side and get him into the boat for his own safety," he said.

Both men were taken ashore at the lifeboat house within a few minutes of being rescued.

Minehead RNLI chairman Bryan Stoner said the man was fortunate his family had been keeping an eye on him and that the lifeboat had already been in the vicinity on a training exercise.

"It could have been a very different outcome.

"Going swimming at night on a falling tide is a very risky thing to do, particularly when you are not familiar with the local tides and currents," Mr Stoner said.