Three people were airlifted to safety after getting cut off by the tide as darkness fell.

Weymouth inshore lifeboat was launched to assist coastguards following a request from Solent Coastguard after two adults and a child were reported to have been become trapped along Kimmeridge Bay.

The lifeboat, Jack and Phyl Cleare, raced the 11 nautical miles to the scen after being alerted at 6.17pm on Saturday as the next high tide due at 7.24pm would make conditions more difficult.

The current relief all-weather lifeboat, The Duke of Kent, was also launched amid fears over the rising tide, dangerous water or lack of daylight.

The crew  arrived on the scene at 7pm and was joined by the onshore coastguard teams from Lulworth, Kimmeridge and St Alban's.

The team decided the rising tide and size of the sea swell would have made for a difficult landing and safe evacuation using the lifeboats.

A coastguard helicopter from Cardiff was then deployed to successfully carry out an airlift of the three persons.

Issuing advice about taking care over tide times, a spokesperson for the RNLI in Weymouth said: “We live on a very beautiful and interesting coastline, and it's fascination can be time absorbing. The RNLI strongly recommend that great care of taken when walking along coastal paths and beaches, to stay well clear of cliff edges and to take note the tide times.“