A man described the moment he nearly jumped in the freezing sea to save a woman from the waves after she fell off the rocks near Lowestoft's South Pier last night.

Ryan Bennett, 28, was only stopped from risking his own life by the arrival of the police, and said he had thought the woman's screams were children messing about on the rocks.

The woman, who fell off the rocks and into the sea about 100 yards from shore, was eventually rescued by police before being taken to hospital in an ambulance.

Mr Bennett said: 'I heard a scream and I wondered what the hell was that and I thought it was kids messing around on the groynes.

'Later I turned around and saw this blonde lady screaming on the rocks. I ran down to the end of the pier and she was getting further and further out to the sea.

He added: 'I thought sod this I'm going in, when the police arrived I was on the way but they advised me to come back and not to risk it.

'The police went onto the beach and the lady by this point had fallen off the rocks and into the water. She must have banged her head when she fell in as she was lying face first in the water.

'As the police swam out they instructed me to get the life ring, which I did, and I threw it out to them. Police and coastguard said they were glad I called when I did as it could have been a different story.'

A spokesman for Suffolk Police said: 'Police were called at just before 9pm last night, June 13, to reports of concern for safety of a woman on the rocks near to the South Pier, Lowestoft.

'Officers were despatched and entered the water to assist in bringing the woman to safety. The woman was then taken to hospital by ambulance.'

A spokesman for Lowestoft and Southwold Coastguard said: 'The Lowestoft Coastguard Rescue Team were paged to reports of a person in the water at Kiddies Corner that required immediate assistance with backup provided from our flank team HM Coastguard Gorleston who also attended the incident.

'The team assisted the ambulance service in treating the casualty and then arranged and completed the extraction from the beach. The casualty was taken to hospital where we wish them a speedy recovery.'