A SEARCH mission was launched after a kayak was seen drifting out to sea.

A concerned member of the public called Portland Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Weymouth, earlier this afternoon, after seeing an unmanned kayak drifting at East Beach in Lyme Regis.

Portland MRCC sent Lyme Regis coastguard rescue officers to investigate and the Lyme Regis inshore lifeboat was requested to launch.

However, once on scene, the coastguard rescue officers were approached by a man who identified himself as the owner of the drifting kayak.

He told officers he had capsized, but had managed to swim back to shore.

After coastguards confirmed the man didn’t need medical attention, the inshore lifeboat went and retrieved the drifting kayak and the male was taken back to the lifeboat station on The Cobb and warmed up with a coffee.