Emergency services spent nearly five hours tackling an undergrowth fire at the foot of steep cliffs.

Firefighters from Lyme Regis, Seaton and Colyton attended the blaze under Pinhay Cliffs, to the west of Lyme Regis.

RNLI Lyme Regis volunteers were called to assist the fire crews with the fire proving difficult to reach.

Some firefighters were able to get down to the fire using ropes, but the lifeboat crew were asked to take a portable pump and hoses by sea for the firefighters to use.

The lifeboat crew used their 'X-boat' (a large dinghy) to ferry the firefighting equipment ashore amid shallow and rocky conditions.

Once the fire was out, the lifeboat crew made two journeys to Pinhay and back to Lyme Regis with four firefighters and equipment aboard on each trip.

Alan Ellis, crew manager with the Lyme Regis firefighters, said: “Once the lifeboat was involved the whole operation went very well. The lifeboat crew were brilliant, in fact a Godsend.”

Lifeboat helm Seb Cope added: “We were just pleased to help, and it was a real team effort.”

The lifeboat crew launched at 6.30pm on Wednesday (August 10) and the operation to bring back the two groups of firefighters and their equipment ended four and a half hours later.