DESPERATE attempts were made to save an angler who died on Chesil Beach.

It is understood people in the area tried to resuscitate the man, aged in his 50s, after he collapsed suddenly while practising his hobby during an evening's fishing on the Chesil bank off Wyke Regis, Weymouth.

His friend raised the alarm after the man fell ill, prompting a major operation by emergency services.

It proved a challenging operation for rescuers, due to the remote location of the incident on the beach, across the Fleet Lagoon from the old Army Bridging Camp. The area is accessible by boat, or by walking the long way round from the Chesil Beach Centre.

Despite attempts to save the man by people in the area who were also fishing, and then medics who subsequently took over, he sadly died at the scene on Friday night.

Wyke Coastguard Rescue Team said they were alerted at 7.45pm to a 'medical incident'. Due to the remote location Weymouth inshore lifeboat was requested to launch.

Firefighters, paramedics, the air ambulance and police officers were also called to the scene.

The air ambulance was unable to lift the casualty from the beach so had to be transported across the water by boat.

A Weymouth RNLI spokesman said: "The inshore lifeboat was launched at 8pm to assist in a multi-agency incident to the recovery a casualty who had suffered a medical incident on Chesil Beach.

"Due to the remote location, it was very difficult for other emergency services to gain access and egress to the beach, so the lifeboat was used to ferry personnel and equipment over to the beach from the hard at the Wyke Bridging Camp across the Fleet and onto the Chesil bank."

Due to the difficult recovery it was not until 11pm that teams were able to stand down.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: "Dorset Police received a report at 7.58pm on Friday of a suspected medical incident in the area of the Chesil Beach Visitor Centre in Weymouth.

"It was subsequently reported that a man aged in his 50s had been pronounced dead at the scene. His family has been informed.

"Officers attended the scene, along with the fire service, ambulance service and Coastguard.

"The death is not being treated as suspicious."