Lyme Regis Harbourmaster Grahame Forshaw is appealing to the public to take care along the coast that has been battered by wild weather.

Dorset was mopping up last week after a deluge together with strong winds.

Flood alerts were issued for the West Dorset coast from Lyme Regis to Portland and residents were urged to be aware of the risk at high tide.

The plea by Mr Forshaw comes after a windsurfer had to be rescued from rough seas last Thursday.

The RNLI lifeboat was launched at around 1pm after reports that the windsurfer was in difficulty to the east of the town’s harbour. The experienced windsurfer, 19-year-old Luke Patrick from Lyme Regis, lost his sail in winds of force six to seven, which triggered rough seas.

Luke was spotted from the shore waving for help when the alarm was raised.

As he held on to his board another windsurfer went to his aid.

The lifeboat crew made sure Luke was safe as he made his own way ashore.

Luke, who has been a member of the Olympic Development Team at Weymouth for four years, said: “It was my first sail after the summer and conditions were brilliant for windsurfing.

“Things were fine until I had the technical problems, but the response from the lifeboat crew was fantastic.”

The lifeboat was launched in seas producing swells up to four feet.

Mr Forshaw, who is also the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat operations manager in Lyme, said: “This incident was a salutary lesson to us all that even the most experienced can be caught out by the weather.

“It’s happened to me in my sailing career, and as we reach that time of year when winds and tides can be particularly treacherous we must be on our guard and take all the right precautions before deciding to venture out. “This young man is an experienced windsurfer, and a friend and the lifeboat came to his aid, but it is a timely lesson that the weather or equipment failure can cause problems for anyone.

“The volunteers of the RNLI will always assist those in trouble at sea, but there is no substitute for being well prepared with the right equipment before going to sea in any conditions.”