A kayaker has paid tribute to Dart RNLI after volunteers saved him from drowning following a fall that broke his neck and his back.

Neil Bascombe, who was on the first day of his family holiday to Kingsbridge, was exploring the coves around Blackpool Sands near Dartmouth when he decided to take a break and join his son Jason and grandchildren on the beach.

The 61-year-old office partitioner paddled his kayak between two rocks to moor but after climbing out he slipped and fell, fracturing his spine and neck, and suffering concussion after hitting his head.

Although the incident happened in June, details of the rescue operation have only just been revealed.

Mr Bascombe, from Poole, explained: “If I hadn't been rescued I wouldn't be here, I would have drowned. The RNLI were fantastic, and it was not an easy rescue. There was no other way I was getting off those rocks.

“At first I was upside down with my head in the water. I was out of it and remember telling myself not to breathe in the water. I managed to haul myself onto a flat rock. But my phone had gone into the sea. I was in so much pain, everything hurt. I couldn’t lift my head up or keep my eyes open. I had blood on my legs, my shirt was shredded and there was a wound on my head.”

His son Marcus, who was out on his paddleboard, was out of sight when his father fell, but eventually found him lying on the rocks.

After trying and failing to get him back on the kayak, he moved his father further away from the water and put him in a foetal position.

Marcus then went to alert the rest of the family, who called the Coastguard, and returned with his brother Jason on the front of his paddleboard.

Meanwhile, the sun was setting and Mr Bascombe’s body temperature was dropping. He said: “I had never been so cold in my life and I couldn’t move my arms or my legs. I was so relieved to see my sons.

“Jason tried to make me more comfortable while Marcus went out to help guide the lifeboat to where I was. Their response time was so quick. I remember lots of voices and they were deciding what to do, but I was in so much pain and the tide was coming in and I was getting wet.

“A wave covered me and water went in my mouth. I couldn’t wait any longer and said they had to move me now. I knew it was going to hurt - and that was before I knew I had broken five vertebrae.”

Dart RNLI’s D Class volunteer lifeboat crew were first on the scene and managed to move Mr Bascombe onto a stretcher. He was then transferred to the waiting Atlantic 85 lifeboat and transported to Dartmouth Embankment.

Mr Bascombe said: “They were brilliant. I was so relieved when I knew I was not going to freeze to death. They did their utmost to keep me comfortable.”

Mr Bascombe was taken to Torbay Hospital by ambulance and spent a week undergoing treatment and tests. It was only after returning home that further investigations revealed three breaks in his neck and two in his spine.

Currently off work while he recovers, Mr Bascombe added: “I’m thankful that I’m still here. I was so immobile and creased up with pain in the cold.

“I feel very lucky that I’m still here and able to walk after the injuries. Anything could have gone wrong and I wouldn't be here. It’s going to take some time but I should eventually be back to normal.”

Mr Bascombe’s wife, Jackie, said: “We just want to thank everyone from the RNLI and others involved in the rescue. He wouldn’t be here today without them. The whole thing was very traumatic.”