FIVE people were rescued from a 32ft yacht off the Dorset coast which was taking on water.

Two lifeboat crews from Poole RNLI were requested to launch to assist the vessel on Sunday.

The lifeboat crews quickly arrived on the scene before it was escorted back to Poole Yacht Club by the Poole Harbour Commissioners' patrol vessel. 

A spokesperson for RNLI Poole said: "The lifeboat was soon on scene and found the yacht being escorted by ‘Vixen’, the Poole Harbour Commissioners patrol vessel.

"Two lifeboat crew were transferred onto the yacht to check everyone was okay and to check the ingress.

"A decision was made for the lifeboat to escort the vessel back to its berth at Poole Yacht Club."

The crew was called to an emergency beacon position by the Coastguard while out on the water and, after finding no one in the water and the beacon moving, they discovered it had been activated on a passing yacht.

The crew flagged down the boat it was believed to be on and discovered a lifejacket had inflated while stowed in a locker and raised a man overboard alarm.