A Dartmouth man used his mobile telephone to call for help as he struggled in the freezing River Dart just after midnight on Wednesday morning.

The man in his 30s is believed to have fallen into Old Mill Creek near Old Mill Bridge.

He was some 100 yards downstream from the bridge when Dartmouth coastguard officers managed to pull him out of the water at around 12.10am.

The man had managed to phone for an ambulance while he was still in the water and the ambulance control had alerted the coastguard.

A spokesman for Brixham Coastguard said the coastguard team was able to get the man out of the water and to the waiting ambulance.

He was then taken to Torbay Hospital for treatment.