Emergency services launched a dramatic rescue mission after a person fell close to the sea wall in Mersea. 

Coastguard teams from Clacton, Mersea and South Woodham Ferrers worked alongside the ambulance service to help get the patient to hospital. 

Crews were called at 11.19am on Thursday after reports a person had fallen close to an area of sea wall which had collapsed. 

Conditions were made trickier by the fast incoming tide. 

In a series of Tweets the South Woodham Ferrers Coastguard said: "Tasked at 11:19 as part of a multi agency response along with @clacton_CG  and #Mersea Coastguard Rescue Team to assist @EastEnglandAmb  and @EEAST_HART  to a casualty who had fallen along the sea-wall on #Mersea Island.

"Coastguard officers assisted ambulance crew to locate the casualty who was on a stretch of the sea-wall which had collapsed in the last year.

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"Once located and assessed by Ambulance crews, a plan was worked up for extrication...

"It was agreed that due to the terrain and multiple hazards present and incoming tide, which would have made extrication very difficult and dangerous by stretcher, it was agreed to request the launch of @HMCoastguard SAR Helicopter to winch the casualty to safety.

"Coastguard officers assisted ambulance personnel at the scene of operations and also setup a Helicopter Landing Site (HLS) for safe recovery of the casualty to ambulance at a location nearby, whereby casualty was handed over to ambulance crew for onward transfer to hospital."