A dog walker was airlifted to safety after he became cut off by the incoming tide at Perran Sands on Wednesday afternoon but his beloved dog died.

Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 924 winched the man onboard after he got into difficulty at Cotty’s Point about 4.30pm.

Newquay and St Agnes Coastguard teams and St Agnes Lifeboat desperately searched for the lost dog following its owner being saved.

A Coastguard member spotted the distressed dog but its position was too dangerous for the lifeboat team to reach it.

The man was taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital for treatment.

A spokesperson for St Agnes Coastguard said: “We were tasked to a person who had been cut off from the tide whilst walking their dog along Perranporth Beach.

“We arrived on scene as SAR Helicopter 924 was lifting the casualty to safety.

“Once the casualty had been lifted, we set to work trying to locate the dog, we set up two edge safety officers, who were able to look over the cliff and into the rocks below.

“After some time St Agnes rescue officer Tom spotted the dog, but unfortunately after every effort was made to try and retrieve, we were unable to.

“The primary duty of the St Agnes Coastguard is to save lives and conduct rescues, it is always challenging when our efforts do not result in the outcome we strive for.

“We are deeply saddened by the outcome of this particular mission.

“We extend our condolences to the individual who lost their beloved dog in this incident.”