A person was airlifted to hospital after getting into trouble at sea.

A major rescue operation was launched after the alarm was raised at just before 11am today.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said it was notified of the incident by Dorset Police.

The person is believed to have been rescued from the water off Chesil Beach in the area of West Bexington and then flown to the Dorchester landing site before being taken to Dorset County Hospital.

A spokesman for the MCA said: "At approximately 10:55 this morning (18 April) HM Coastguard received a call from Dorset Police reporting a person in the water at Chesil Beach.

"The coastguard rescue helicopter from Lee-on-Solent was sent, as well as coastguard rescue teams from West Bay and Wyke and the RNLI lifeboat from Lyme Regis.

"The person was taken by helicopter to Dorset County Hospital and passed into the care of South Western Ambulance service."