Two police officers have been commended for saving the life of a man who jumped off a sea wall on Canvey.

In July 2015, the man jumped off the sea wall and sustained sever injuries to his face and leg.

The water was very choppy and Sgt Michael Latham, based in Basildon and Pc Thomas Clinton, based in Canvey Island alongside six RNLI lifeguards were unable to get close enough to save the man.

The boat edged closer to the man and after a struggle, the two officers managed to get the man onto the boat where he could receive urgent medical attention.

He was showing early signs of hypothermia after battling the strong tides.

The pair received special commendations from Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh on Friday August 18 at the police headquarters in Chelmsford.

The award was Pc Clinton's third commendation for lifesaving actions and he also received another from the Ambulance Service for giving first aid.

Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh said: “Michael and Thomas do not get training in removing somebody in a life threatening situation in the middle of the sea, they worked with the RNLI team and bravely committed to making this man safe. It wasn’t until afterwards that the complexity that they dealt with struck and there is a man living today because of their professionalism.”