A 'drunk' villager was rescued after he fell into the muddy sea 'while looking for somewhere to urinate'.

Mawin Somrakad, 44, plunged into the dirty water near a bridge in Chonburi province, Thailand on February 19 while trying to answer the call of nature.

His girlfriend saw him falling and, without hesitation, jumped into the muck herself to save him.

However, she found that they were both stuck as there were no ladders to climb back up.

Rescuers received an emergency call and found the embarrassed couple drenched in gray mud while sitting next to the bridge. They lowered a stepladder down the sea, allowing the pair to clamber up to safety before hosing the dirt off of them.

The girlfriend said she and Mawin had been drinking prior to the incident.

Boyfriend Mawin added: 'I remember walking up to the edge. I was expecting my foot to touch the ground but it was just air. And it kept falling. I thought 'when is this going to stop'. Then I landed in the mud.'

The couple were given first aid and taken to the Chonburi Hospital for leg injuries.