A dog fell 35 metres off a cliff in what was the second such incident in just 24 hours.

West Bay Coastguard rescue team was paged yesterday (Tuesday) by the Solent Coastguard National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) to reports of a dog that had fallen over the cliff at Seatown.

Seven rescue officers from West Bay, including the teams station officer and deputy station officer, quickly responded to the call and the flank team at Lyme Regis was also called to the incident.

Due to an earlier road traffic collision closing the A35 and blocking access to Seatown, the West Bay officers had no choice but to travel off-road via Thorncombe Beacon, meeting the team from Lyme Regis just to the east of Seatown.

They set up a full rope rescue system and a cliff technician from Lyme Regis was lowered 35 metres down to the stranded animal.

The dog was carefully transferred into an animal rescue bag and both officer and dog were winched back up to the top to reunite the dog with its owners.

The animal had sustained injuries and was immediately transferred to a local vets for onward care and treatment.

A spokesman for the West Bay Coastguard team said: "We wish the very best outcome and the owners did the right thing by calling the coastguard and not attempting to self-rescue.

"Accidents happen, and we will always be there when they do, but there are some really simple steps you can take to help keep yourself and your four legged friends safe.

"The coastguard recommend that you always keep your dog on a lead on the cliffs and coastal paths.

"Some dogs, especially smaller ones, can have difficulty seeing the cliff edge and if the worst happens, never attempt a self-rescue."

The coastguard team was called shortly before 8.30pm on Monday after a German Shepherd fell 20ft off a cliff at West Bay.