PRAWLE Point Coastguard and Kingsbridge Police saved an intoxicated man from a cliff edge on Sunday.

The man was discovered passed out by a passing member of the public who dragged him away from the cliff edge and called an ambulance.

A first responder, who lives in East Portlemouth, was on scene quickly.

But when the man regained consciousness he became violent and aggressive, threatening to throw himself off the cliff. The police and coastguard were called.

After lengthy negotiations with the man, he was led back up from the cliff and the Coastguard 4x4 vehicle transported him to Rickham Farm where a waiting police van took him back to Kingsbridge Police Station before he was transported to Torbay Hospital.

Gavin Angliss, Prawle Point Coastguard, said the team were gearing up for the possibility of having to handcuff the man and transport him via their stretcher if he had continued to be aggressive.

Gavin said: 'Our stretcher has full body straps in case a casualty needs transporting to a helicopter, so we were ready for having to fully restrain him and remove him from the cliff edge if needed.

'But in the end he was taken away on foot.

'We also need to remind the public of the danger of cliff edges.

'On our way back from the incident, we had to advise a family as they were allowing their children to play at the edge of the cliff.'

'Cliff edges can be unpredictable or look more stable than they, in fact, are and can give way with little or no warning.

'Keep away from the edge and stick to the paths.

PC Richard Loxton, of Kingsbridge Police, said: 'It was great to see all the volunteers working so well and for all the emergency services working together for a good outcome.

'The man involved was being very difficult and obstructive. He was so drunk he couldn't walk.

'But the volunteer coastguards and first responders dealt with him with the utmost professionalism.'

Police took the man to Torbay Hospital where he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act. He has since been released.