Drunk swimmer triggers new year rescue effort

A drunk man had rescue services working at their very best yesterday (January 1st) after he decided to take a swim in extremely choppy waters.

The local man was given a fixed penalty notice of £90 by police when he was arrested at South Beach in Aberystwyth following his foolish dip.

He had opted to wade in to the sea on the Welsh coast, despite the waves topping 15ft at the time.

Aberystwyth's RNLI inshore lifeboat had to be called for, but the man managed to scramble back to the shore just before it hit the water.

Milford Haven's coastguard revealed the drunk man's decision to get into the water "may just have been in high spirits but it was not in good judgement".

Coastguards in the area were quick to warn anyone thinking of enjoying a New Year's Day dip that this was not the year for it, as the huge waves battered the beach.