COASTGUARDS have faced one of their busiest weekends of the year so far.

People flocked to the sea as temperatures soared on Saturday and Sunday.

In Lyme Regis, coastguards were alerted to several people climbing in the area of last week's landslip.

Safety advice was given to people at the scene but coastguards are still concerned that members of the public are putting themselves at risk despite police tape and numerous signs warning them to avoid the area.

A 65-year-old man had to be airlifted to Dorset County Hospital after he was thought to have suffered a stroke on cliffs above Hive Beach at Burton Bradstock.

Wyke Regis coastguard rescue team responded to a report from a distraught dog owner that their pet had gone through a fence above a 150-foot drop at Bincleaves in Weymouth.

As coastguards were proceeding with the search the dog, a cairn terrier called Ginger, turned up safe and well.

The coastguard rescue helicopter was scrambled to Burton Bradstock yesterday after reports of a hang glider in the water.

However, the search was called off after local vessel Epsidon discovered a number of helium balloons in the water, which were believed to have triggered the report.

The helicopter was also called into action to assist a diver who had made a rapid ascent from the wreck St Dunstan in Lyme Bay.

The diver was airlifted to Poole where he was met by coastguard officers, an ambulance and dive doctor and taken to the compression chamber.

Dive boat Scuba Ted was plunged into action after a vessel suffered engine failure near the southern entrance to Portland Harbour.

Scuba Ted responded to a radio call for assistance and towed the stricken Popeye into Weymouth Harbour.

An angling vessel, Duchess 2, also suffered engine failure when approximately eight nautical miles north west of Portland Bill and had to be towed into Weymouth Harbour by an RNLI lifeboat.

Coastguard rescue officers at Swanage responded to a report of a drum on the beach.

The drum, which contained engine oil, was bagged up by Dorset Fire and Rescue Service to be collected by the Environment Agency.

Reports of another oil drum, spotted floating 40 nautical miles south-east of Portland Bill, were passed on to the French coastguard for action.

The fishing boat Kid You Not, with three people on board, was towed back to Weymouth by Meridian Express after suffering engine failure off the Shambles Bank, Portland.

They were met by Wyke coastguard rescue team on their return to harbour.

Lulworth coastguard rescue team was scrambled to reports of people on the cliff at Stair Hole.

Two youths managed to slither and slip their way down to the beach on their own. St Albans coastguard rescue team helped Dorset ambulance crews with a young man who had fallen off his bike. He was treated on scene and then transferred to Poole General Hospital by the ambulance.

Lulworth coastguards investigated reports of people possibly in difficulty on Dungy Head but nothing untoward was found.

There were also false alarms about a sleeping bag and bottle found at Dancing Ledge and reports of a small boat in difficulty off Durlston Bay.