A man was taken to hospital last night after he dived into stormy waters to save a woman who had drifted out to sea.

It is thought he suffered a heart attack as he battled against the waves off Saltdean beach yesterday.

Police, coastguards, lifeboat crews and paramedics joined forces after a 999 call at 7.15pm.

The man, who is in his 40s, was sitting on a bench when he spotted the woman, who had been in the water for about two hours. She shouted for help as she was carried 300 yards out to sea.

The man raced along the groyne and dived in but is believed to have suffered a heart attack.

The owner of the nearby beach cafe raised the alarm and coastguards from Newhaven and Shoreham arrived eight minutes later to find the would-be rescuer drifting unconscious in the surf.

He had been pulled from the sea by a passer-by.

The emergency crews revived the man as the police helicopter dropped a life jacket to try to save the woman.

A coastguard helicopter then circled overhead but the woman did not grab the winch. Lifeboats from Brighton and Shoreham arrived and the woman was finally pulled clear from the waves.

She was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Inspector Andy Keele, of Brighton police, said: "We dropped a life raft but she appeared not to want it. The in-shore lifeboat then appeared and dragged her on board."

A coastguard spokesman said the woman had attempted to resist when she was pulled to safety.

But the drama wasn't over yet for the Shoreham lifeboat crew.

As they returned to shore they spotted a fishing boat with a net caught round its propeller off Ovingdean beach.

The lifeboat crew towed the fishing boat ashore. Helmsman Mark Smith said: "Everything seemed to happen at once. It was a real test of the combined force of the emergency services."