TWO people diced with death as they played near huge waves at high tide on Portland.

The pair were spotted close to the breaking waves on Chesil Beach.

They were seen to walk down to close to where the waves were breaking.

A concerned onlooker said: “The waves were breaking quite frequently and they suddenly realised they were in a really risky situation and the waves were chasing them back up the slope.”

Both managed to dash up the slope and made it back over the beach safely.

The onlooker added: “It’s an extremely dangerous thing to do, because if you miss your footing or you get caught by a wave, it's not going to be good for you.”

He added: “It’s a really very silly thing to do, especially in a period of high tide, when you only need one odd wave to crash in a bit higher than the rest and you could be swept out to sea.”

A spokesman for Portland Coastguard urged people to stay away and take care at the coast.

The spokesman said: “Chesil Beach is particularly dangerous due to the undertow of the waves through the shingle and the fact the beach shelves steeply not far from the water’s edge.

“Please stay away from the water’s edge and don’t take risks.”