The Polish man, who lives in London, was heading from Hastings to Pett when he got into difficulty at about 2pm.

A member of the public spotted him waving for help on the cliffside about half a mile from Hastings, so dialled 999.

Coastguards from Hastings and Rye were alerted, and Rye inshore lifeboat and the coastguard helicopter were launched to search for the day tripper.

The rescue operation was caught on camera by David Wilson, of East Grinstead.

"I was out walking on the hills and when some people said they had seen somebody stuck," he told the Observer. "I looked and could see him quite clearly.

"We think he might have been cut off by the tide. At first coastguards tried to abseil down the cliff to him but it was too sheer and then the helicopter rescued him."

A spokesman for Dover Coastguards said the man was taken to safety and he suffered no injuries in the incident.