Grandad William Bournes wants to thank the men who saved his life after a dip in the sea nearly killed him.

The 53-year-old plunged off the jetty near the Catholic Church in Sheerness to cool down on a sweltering Sunday but the shock of the cold water knocked him unconscious.

Joggers Steve Wolfe and Lee Allen dived into the water to help youngsters drag Mr Bournes’ lifeless body to the shore.

First-aider Mr Wolfe, 41, performed CPR.

Dad-of-13 Mr Bournes, who has lived in a flat off Sheerness High Street for the past four years, said: “I’d like to thank those two men. I wouldn’t be here today if it hadn’t been for them.”

He walked into the Sheerness Times Guardian office on Monday to track down his rescuers after reading about them in the paper.

He said: “I’ve already thanked the young boys who helped.

“I have been sitting on the jetty hoping the two men would jog past but I haven’t seen them.”

The fork-lift truck driver, who has seven grandchildren, added: “I used to swim competitively as an 18-year-old but I hadn’t swum for a while.

“It was a sweltering day so I stripped off down to my underpants and dived in but the cold water must have knocked me out. It was probably just as well as I gather my underpants came off, too. That could have been a bit embarrassing.

“All I can remember is seeing the dark green of the water. I heard later that the tide was starting to take me out to sea. I think I was unconscious for two to three minutes but I was in the water for up to 20 minutes.”

He added: “I’d also like to warn others how dangerous the sea can be.

“Although we are going through a heatwave this week the water off the coast is still bitterly cold. People don’t realise how cold.”

He admitted: “I had also been drinking which was a silly thing to do. My friend tried to help me but he was drunk, too.

“I’m a fighter. You have to be in this world when you have kids and grandchildren. I was back out of hospital by the Monday.”

The drama began on June 26 when Mr Bournes dived in for a dip.

Joggers Steve from Rainham and Lee from Queenborough were running along the promenade from Sheerness to Minster when they saw two young boys in the water struggling to keep something afloat.

Steve recalled: “Lee and I ran over to help and realised it was a man. We managed to drag him out of the water and put him in the recovery position but he was already unconscious.

“We pumped his chest as he had swallowed a lot of water.

“Although the boys could keep him afloat they couldn’t lift him back onto the jetty.

“A couple of Polish guys came along and we all managed to pull him out.”

Firefighters were among the first emergency services on the scene.

Two ambulances and a hazardous area response team were also sent just after 6pm.