A MAN got into difficulty when he fell out of a dinghy and tried to swim for shore in water off Charmouth.

Coastguards received around 15 calls from concerned members of the public as another male also entered the water to assist him.

The coastguard rescue helicopter and the Lyme Regis RNLI lifeboat were alerted but both men made it to the shore unaided and were met by coastguards and lifeboat crew.

The rescue helicopter was also called to reports of a Polish crewman suffering from stomach pains on board a vessel 25 miles southeast of Portland Bill. The man was airlifted to Poole and transferred to Poole Hospital.