A man has been arrested after getting stuck in the mud while trying to go for a swim in the River Medway.

The 50-year-old became stranded in the swampy water off Rochester Riverside at about 1pm today. It is thought he was trying to swim to the other side. He had allegedly been drinking.

After a 999 call from people on the shore nearby, Kent Police scrambled its helicopter to locate the man.

Medway Coastguard was also called to the scene but the crew was stood down a short time later when he safely made it back to shore on his own.

A spokesman for Kent Police said: "We were tasked to an intoxicated male who had tried to go swimming and got stuck in the mud. The man has since been arrested."