A PENSIONER with Alzheimer's disease was found injured and distressed in a remote beauty spot by coastguards in Dawlish Warren on Monday night.

The man, aged 74, had wandered off from his caravan park home in Cockwood earlier in the evening.

Teignmouth Coastguard's station officer Glen Mayhew said: "It was very lucky that he was found. If we had not discovered him when we did, the outcome could have been quite tragic."

He added: "We were searching what we regarded as a high-risk area and found him after hearing his very quiet moaning noises. We followed the sound and found him stuck in brambles and pampas grass. He could not get up."

The alarm was raised at 6.30pm with the Teignmouth team of ten getting involved two hours later. Just over 90 minutes later, the man was found about 12 metres from the water's edge in a confused state.

Mr Mayhew said the casualty was not in danger of being swamped by a high tide, despite his proximity to the water.

But he added: "The place where we found him is not used by members of the public.

"No one walks there. It was very fortunate."

The man, who has not been named, was put in a Coastguard four-wheel-drive vehicle and taken to an awaiting ambulance in Dawlish Warren just after 10pm.

Mr Mayhew said: "He had walked through lots of undergrowth to get where he was. There was no path nearby. It was a very detailed search."

He revealed that the team had been briefed that the man had favoured the spot for bird-watching trips. The scene of his discovery was some four miles from his home.

"He was very cold and didn't know how long he'd been there," said Mr Mayhew.

The search also involved the police helicopter and a local lifeboat crew. Coastguard rescue teams from Dartmoor and Exmouth were being lined up to join in the search when the man was discovered.

A spokesman for Brixham Coastguard, which co-ordinated the search, said: "The team did very well to find the man. He was very lucky indeed."

The casualty was taken to the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital for a check-up.