TWO men who were trapped on a sand bank on the Severn Estuary were rescued in an operation involving lifeboats and the police helicopter.

A police helicopter alerted coastguards after spotting the two men trapped on the Bedwin Sands, between Chepstow and Newport, at around 3pm on Sunday.

Mervyn Fleming, area commander for Newport and Chepstow Severn Area Rescue, said the jet skis crashed into the sands after running out of water.

"One of the men struck the sands at about 60mph and was catapulted off," he said.

"He suffered minor head injuries."

The pair were eventually rescued after a lifeboat was launched at around 7pm.

With help from Severn Area Rescue, the jet skis were re-started.