A WEYMOUTH fisherman told how he rescued a man from the sea in the early hours of the morning.

Brynley Mason and a friend were fishing near Weymouth Pleasure Pier when they saw the man floating face down.

The pair, who had been fishing from the walkway near the Sea Life Tower, called emergency services before jumping in the water and dragging the man to safety on the beach.

Mr Mason, 49, then began resuscitating the man until paramedics arrived on the scene.

The drama unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday morning and led to police officers, ambulance paramedics, the Weymouth inshore lifeboat and Wyke Coastguard Rescue Officers all rushing to the scene.

Mr Mason said: “When I first saw something in the water I thought maybe it was a seal. I was shocked when I realised it was a man.

“It was the last thing anyone would have expected. I just jumped into the water to help him. Luckily the water wasn’t very deep, although it was very cold, and we managed to drag him to the beach.”

He added: “If we hadn’t helped I think he would have died. It was the middle of the night and there was no one else around.”

Mr Mason said he didn’t think twice before jumping into the water to rescue the man.

“I just reacted. I wasn’t thinking about anything else other than saving this man’s life.”

A spokesman for Dorset Police said that it appeared that the man had been dragged from the water by two people who happened to be passing by.

She said: “Two people went in to help him. They didn’t know him. He was taken to Dorset County Hospital with mild hypothermia.”

A spokesman for the ambulance service said: “One casualty was conscious and breathing. He was stable.

“The ambulance treated him at the scene and took him to Dorset County Hospital for further treatment.”