Kayakers had to be rescued from an island after getting stranded due to strong winds.
The group set out on a trip on the River Medway on Saturday but encountered rough waves and ended up on the small island of Darnet Ness.
Police, the RNLI and Coastguard were called, with officers having to swim around 100 metres of thick mud to reach the party.
A Kent Police spokesman said: ‘The Kent Police search and marine unit attended and got as close to the shoreline as possible before two officers swam to shore and negotiated around 100 metres of thick mud. They then reached the group and checked for signs of injury.
‘The RNLI Sheerness Lifeboat then attended and were able to get closer to the shore on a smaller rigid inflatable boat (RHIB).
‘They were able to collect the stranded kayakers and transport them to Kent Police RHIB Invicta, as it could accommodate all of the group and their kayaks.
‘With the kayaks in tow, RHIB Invicta took all persons and kayaks to Gillingham Marina, where the Coastguard was waiting for them.’
Although the north was most severely affected, Storm Malik brought strong winds to the whole of the UK on Saturday.
A boy, nine, and a 60-year-old woman were killed by falling trees in Staffordshire and Aberdeen as gusts of more than 100mph caused widespread disruption to travel and power supplies.
The Met Office have said that another blast of severe strong winds, now officially named Storm Corrie, is set to hit parts of the UK overnight on Sunday into Monday morning.
One of the officers who involved in the kayak rescue, Pc Ryan Duffy, said: ‘Thankfully no-one was hurt and the group had the right equipment with them – dry suits, floatation devices, very high frequency (VHF) radios and mobile phones, and were able to call for rescue.
‘Even experienced water users can be caught out by strengthening winds and deteriorating weather, and need to have the ability to call for help if needed. I am pleased we were able to work with our partners to safely rescue them.’
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