COASTGUARDS had a busy weekend with a number of call-outs along the West Dorset coast.

A man and his two children caused alarm after they set off in an inflatable dinghy from Charmouth to Seatown.

Coastguards searched the shoreline after a member of the public reported the issue, and the missing dinghy was located ashore on St Gabriels Beach at around 1.40pm yesterday, Sunday, July 27.

At around 10pm on Saturday, July 26, the Lyme Regis RNLI Inshore Lifeboat and West Bay Coastguard Rescue Officers responded to reports of a dinghy off West Bexington which appeared to be in difficulty.

The dinghy came ashore before the lifeboat had launched and the person involved was given safety advice.

Yesterday, the West Bay Coastguard Rescue Team helped two elderly people who were unable to get off the beach due to medical issues.

The couple were helped off the stones and back to their vehicle.

And a nearby boat came to the rescue of a vessel which suffered engine failure off Freshwater Beach just before 8pm on Saturday.