Two people were rescued with one being airlifted to hospital after a fishing boat capsized off Portland Bill this morning.

A 999 call was received at 8.43am reporting a capsized fishing boat off Portland Bill with two people on board.

The sea drama sparked a major emergency response involving coastguards, the RNLI, a search and rescue helicopter and a Navy warship.

The RNLI said the two fishermen had evacuated their 6.8 metre vessel into a liferaft and a Mayday alert was issued.

A warship, HMS Westminster, was first on scene and picked up the pair.

They were then transferred to Weymouth Lifeboat which had arrived on scene.

A spokesman for the RNLI said: "One of the fishing crew had sustained a head injury so with the Coastguard helicopter on scene, he was airlifted from the lifeboat and transferred to (Dorset County) hospital.

"The other casualty was taken back to Weymouth lifeboat station where he was handed into the care of the ambulance service."

Portland Bill and Wyke Coastguard Rescue Teams assisted rescue teams on land.

It is understood the owner of the vessel is in the process of having it recovered to Weymouth.

A South Western Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We were called at 9.01am to attend the lifeboat station at Weymouth following reports of an upturned vessel. One patient was transported to hospital by coastguard helicopter. We treated a second patient and transported them to hospital by land."