"THANK YOU" is a woman's message to the people who saved her life after she was swept out to sea while swimming off West Bay.

A communal effort saw fishermen and bystanders help to save Debbie Kingston who was struggling in the sea.

Mrs Kingston, 62, from West Bay, got into difficulties in the water last Friday lunchtime.

Emergency services were called – but people who saw her struggling knew they had to act quickly. They directed a fishing boat to her position and Mrs Kingston was plucked from the water and brought into the harbour.

Mrs Kingston said: "I’d been swimming a lot in the summer and I vowed to be one of the people who went in during the winter. I thought I’d prepared, the weather was warm and it was just a light breeze. I thought there was nothing to worry about.

"I didn’t go far out of my depth, I could still stand. Within a few minutes, the current had pulled me out and I tired very quickly. I tried to swim back in but I just couldn’t, I wasn’t making any progress. 

"I began to swallow water and after that I have little recollection. I began to come to when they pulled me on to the boat and remember the immense relief but not much else."

After initial first aid, Mrs Kingston was treated by paramedics before being rushed to hospital.

She spent the following 24 hours in intensive care at Dorset County Hospital.

She added: “I was so lucky. Doctors said if my oxygen levels had gotten much lower I may well have died.

“I’ve learnt from the experience. I wouldn’t want people to think sea swimming is unsafe but it is important to know your limits and to make it as safe as you can.

"I just want to say a huge thank you to the fishermen and emergency services and of course all the bystanders who did so much to help.”

The News has not been able to speak to the crew of the fishing boat but it is believed to be a West Bay-based vessel.

Maisie Amos, a 21-year-old lifeguard from Bridport, was out for a walk with her parents when they spotted Mrs Kingston struggling in the sea.

Miss Amos quickly called 999 and persuaded Mrs Kingston's husband, Trevor, not to dive in after her, as the tide was too strong.

Miss Amos said: "Myself, my dad and another member of the public flagged down a fishing boat that had just come in the harbour and told them there was a lady in the water.

"The fishing boat zoomed over and we pointed them in the direction of the lady and they were able to spot her, grab her arm and pull her into the boat. I was still on the phone with the operator explaining what was going on. I shouted over to the boat and asked if she was breathing and said I’d meet them over by the harbour master's office."

Miss Amos, who is trained in first aid, was allowed on to the boat to assess Mrs Kingston. Shortly after, Coastguard teams, the Lyme Regis Lifeboat, paramedics and the air ambulance arrived.

Miss Amos added: "Once they’d all arrived I stepped back and let the emergency services do their brilliant job. It was a brilliant team effort from everyone involved."

Anna and Tony Benson were walking along the coast with their dog when they spotted the commotion.

Mrs Benson said: “We were walking close to the quay when we noticed the lady in the sea. The sea was a bit choppy and something seemed wrong.

“We could see she was struggling. The waves were getting stronger, I think she was trying to get out but one wave came in a bit higher and she lost control of the situation. She tried to swim back but couldn’t swim against the tide.

“The situation became more and more alarming – the woman’s husband wanted to jump in to save her but was persuaded not to.

“Eventually the fishing boat was flagged down. They were incredible. She was lying flat at this point and one of the men really stretched himself to grab her and they were able to get her back to the quay."

She added: “We wanted to say thank you to the fishermen and to the young woman for all that they did.”