A woman left "wet and distressed" after being cut off by the tide only managed give the coastguard vague directions as to where she was.

The woman was able to get through to the coastguard dialling 999 after being cut off by the tide near Pentewan Beach near St Austell, but could only give the rescue service vague details because of the poor mobile reception in the area.

The Fowey lifeboat was launched at 4.17pm on Monday (September 12) with three crew onboard, Malcolm Richardson, Liam Barron and Ross Jezard. They headed towards Pentewan going close inshore after rounding Black Head.

They found the woman to the west of Hellane Beach, on the rocks in Polrudden Cove. Helm Malcolm Richardson decided to land crew member Ross Jezard nearby, where sea conditions were more moderate, to assess the casualty.

He clambered across the rocks and found the casualty wet and distressed but otherwise OK. She had spent some time in the water before getting onto the rocks.

"Luckily she had her mobile with her and was able to make the 999 call before it got wet, so the lifeboat crew were able to locate her," the lifeboat station said in a Facebook post. "The crew transferred the casualty to the lifeboat and then took her to Pentewan Beach where she was landed into the care of the coastguard team and her father.

"Tidal cut off is a major cause of RNLI call outs. Always check the tide times and heights, keep a look out for incoming tide and make sure you have enough time to return safely. Tell someone where you are going and when you’ll be back so they can raise the alarm with the coastguard if you are overdue."