A LIFEBOAT crew has issued a 'don't drink and drown' plea after being sent to the aid of a drunken man who entered the sea while carrying a glass of beer.

The Redcar RNLI crew was alerted just before 4pm on Saturday when a man walked into the sea close to the Redcar Beacon.

The RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was tasked and a UK Coastguard team, already dealing with an incident nearby, was also sent.

The coastguard team was able to persuade the man to walk back out to the beach, where he was met by police officers.

Dave Cocks, lifeboat operations manager at Redcar RNLI said: "They found the man, fully clothed and chest-deep in the surf. He was still holding a glass of beer.

"One of the team was able to persuade the man to wade back ashore. He was met by police officers and given suitable advice."

It was one of several call-outs for the crew over the bank holiday weekend which included rescuing a capsized kayaker on Good Friday.

The kayak was seen to capsize near Granville Terrace, Redcar, and Mike Picknett, deputy launching authority at Redcar RNLI said: "We initially brought the man back to the boathouse for rewarming.

"He started to go downhill a bit, saying he’d taken in some seawater. So we put him on oxygen and called for an ambulance.

"He was well equipped with an anchor and GPS, and he was wearing a buoyancy aid."