FEARS that a swimmer may have been missing on the beach led to a lifeboat being launched yesterday.

The Lyme Regis RNLI lifeboat crew were alerted when a man's rucksack was found ashore at Seaton beach yesterday afternoon.

The volunteer lifeboat crew launched at 3.29pm and, working alongside the Beer coastguard team, carried out coastline searches.

The search was called off when it was established that the man was safe and well ashore. The lifeboat crew returned to Lyme Regis at 5.20pm.

Volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager Nick Marks said: “When we get reports such as this it is always better to be safe rather than sorry.”

This was the 20th shout for the Lyme Regis crew so far this year.