An off-duty Guardia Civil officer stationed in Algeciras rescued a father and son whose newly-acquired motor launch sank around three miles from Tarifa yesterday afternoon.

It was around 5pm when the officer, who was on a fishing expedition, spotted the men clinging to the seat of their boat.

After hauling them on board, the officer learned that the pair, who are from Tarifa, had got into trouble after a short stop when their anchor got caught up in the motor, causing their boat to sink.

They had been in the water for around two hours before being picked up, and both required treatment back on dry land for the first symptoms of hypothermia.