RESCUERS were called out for a night-time search amid fears for the safety of a man on a 100ft high clifftop.

West Bay Coastguard said it was alerted to reports of a 'despondent' man on East Cliff. Subsequent searches of the coast, also involving police officers, revealed nothing and it is believed the man had left the area.

A spokesman for the team said: "Members of the public had spotted the male behaving in an odd manner on the top of East Cliff. They became concerned for his welfare and called the emergency services.

"Six rescue officers from the West Bay team quickly responded and made their way to the rescue station to pick up their equipment. Our Flank Team over at Lyme Regis Coastguard were paged to provide backup and Dorset Police were also responding.

"The West Bay Officers met with the first informant to gather more information and then headed to the base of East Cliff.

"A search team was sent out along the cliff path from West Bay to Freshwater while another team searched the beach and under-cliff from West Bay as far as the tide and conditions allowed.

"Both searches were completed with nothing found."

The spokesman added: "The Station Officer liaised with the police and Solent Coastguard and with no sightings of the male and no new information received, the teams were stood down to return to station.

"We want to thank our colleagues over at Lyme Regis and the police for their assistance as well as the members of the public who made the initial call to the emergency services."

The search was conducted on Thursday evening following a call at 8.30pm

Coastguards urge people to stay safe on the coast.

They say if you find yourself in difficulty, or if you are concerned for others, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.