A MAN was rescued from drowning in Weymouth harbour.

A passing fishing boat heard the stricken man’s cries for help and managed to pull him from the water.

Ashley Stones, skipper of the fishing vessel Wahoo, said that it was just luck that they were passing at the time.

He said: “We were heading out to sea at about 6.30am on Friday and nearing the harbour entrance when we heard cries for help.

“We saw this chap in the water and managed to get over to him and threw him a life-ring.”

Mr Stones, from Dorchester , who owns The Duchy Fisherman company then alerted Portland Coastguard, which mobilised the emergency services.

He added: “We managed to get him to the harbourside and the emergency services were on hand to deal with him. We then continued out to sea.”

It is not clear how the 50-year-old man entered the water but he was later detained ‘for his own safety’.

The Wahoo was met on the quayside by coastguard rescue officers, police and paramedics.

He was taken ashore and checked over before being detained.

A spokesman for Portland Coastguard said: “The local angling boat Wahoo reported that they were recovering a person from the water off the entrance to Weymouth Harbour.

“The man, who was aged 50, was landed to be met by Wyke Coast Rescue Officers, an ambulance and the police, who detained the individual for his own safety.”

Elsewhere, coastguards swung into action after the skipper of a boat reported it was sinking The Coastguard search and rescue helicopter was scrambled and Lyme Regis inshore lifeboat was launched after the speedboat with three people on board called 999 reporting that the steering had failed and it was sinking off the coast at Swyre, just east of West Bay harbour.

A Coastguard spokesman said: “Both search and rescue units were quickly on scene and assisted the vessel until the Bridport harbour launch arrived and took the casualty under tow into the harbour, where they were met by West Bay Coastguard Rescue Officers, who confirmed that all on board were well.”