So much for the polite British reserve

We've all heard of the British "stiff upper lip" and all, ta-ta...

We also understand that when we have a problem on or near the sea, that the Coast Guard is there to help.

Apparently this British couple didn't get the hint.

LONDON (AFP) - An elderly couple stranded by the rising tide off the British coast stunned coastguards by not only refusing to be rescued, but hurling abuse at a helicopter crew who attempted to winch them to safety, officials said.

The unnamed pair were spotted being forced to shelter in a cove on cliffs after the tide came in at St Anne's Head, in Pembrokeshire, north Wales, cutting them off.

A worried passer-by telephoned the local coastguard who dispatched a lifeboat, only to be told in blunt terms that the couple wanted to "sit it out" and wait for the tide to go in again.

But with the weather becoming increasingly stormy as Thursday afternoon went on, officials decided to send a helicopter team from a Royal Air Force base in distant Devon, southwest England.

The crew sent down a winch, only to be greeted by a volley of abuse from the man, who insisted the couple wanted to be left alone.