A lost sailor has had to be rescued after running out of fuel circling a small island when he thought he was sailing around the UK coast.

The Sheerness lifeboat and the Thames Coastguard assisted the man who ran aground off the Elmley Marshes on the Isle of Sheppey on 19 April.

With only a road map for directions, he set off on the river Medway, from Gillingham, and headed for Southampton.

But the RNLI said the man had "ended up travelling round the Isle of Sheppey".

A spokesman said: "This guy had run aground after running out of fuel. He was attempting to travel around the UK from Medway to Southampton and somehow lost his bearings and ended up travelling around the Isle of Sheppey.

"He didn't have the usual maritime charts or navigation equipment."

The man told the rescue team he had been keeping the coast to his right and had ended up sailing in circles around Sheppey.

The motor cruiser was towed to Queenborough and officers gave him advice on fuel usage, a Thames Coastguard spokesman said.

It is understood the man later attempted to continue his journey to Southampton.