A HERD of Cornish cattle was saved in a dramatic rescue in the early hours after becoming trapped on rocks by the rising tide.

Between around 20 to 30 young cattle had become marooned on the rocks around 200m off Colona Beach near Chapel Point close to Mevagissey.

Mevagissey Coastguards were alerted to the situation early on Thursday, August 1, and Fowey inshore lifeboat was launched at 1:50am.

The coastguards and lifeboat crew provided support and safety cover as a farmer and his wife raced against the rising tide to bring the animals to safety.

A coastguard spokesperson said: “The farmer used a small boat to bring them back one at a time. Simultaneously, his wife swam back and forth to the rocks, bringing back one or two young cows every time by encouraging them to swim.

“She did this for a marathon 90 minutes, by which time the sea was up to their necks. But luckily all the cattle were brought safely to dry land.”

The lifeboat crew shone torches to help the farmers and made sure they were okay before returning to the lifeboat station.

Helm James Dowrick said: “We arrived on the scene to see cattle in the water and on the rocks. However, it was clear that the farmers had the situation under control and we supported them with torchlight and monitored those in the water before returning back to the station once we were comfortable everyone was safe.”

At around midday on the same day, the inshore lifeboat was launched again to assist a mother and daughter who had got into difficulty whilst paddleboarding off Par Beach.

Lifeboat crew members found the pair stranded on rocks to the east side of the beach. They rescued them, returning them to the shore.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, July 27, at 3.30pm, Falmouth Coastguard had requested that Fowey Lifeboat Station assemble crew to provide possible assistance to a woman with a suspected broken ankle just south of the monument on the Hall Walk at Penleath Point above Fowey Harbour.

An ambulance and St Austell and Polruan coastguard teams were en route to the casualty. As there were difficulties with access to the scene, it was decided to launch the inshore lifeboat and put crew members ashore.

A Fowey harbour patrol staff member was already at the scene with the injured woman. The lifeboat crew arrived at 4pm and two crew members went ashore to care for the casualty. The coastguard teams and paramedics arrived at 4.40pm.

After an assessment by the paramedics, it was decided that the best way to evacuate the woman was to take her along the Hall Walk to Bodinnick. At 6.20pm, she was transferred to an ambulance waiting at Bodinnick.