COASTGUARDS helped to rescue boats in trouble, injured coasteerers and helped police to talk down a man on a cliff edge on Portland.

At 10.10am on Monday Wyke coastguard officers were called by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre on Weymouth harbourside, after they received a call that a man had fallen some distance and had had injuries at Newto’s Cove.

However, the team was stood down when it was clear that the incident was not as serious as had first been thought.

Just before 12noon Portland coastguards sent Mudeford lifeboat to help a yacht in trouble.

The yacht, Kima, had engine failure in Christchurch Bay after fouling its propeller.

The lifeboat escorted the yacht into Christchurch Harbour after the propeller was released.

Just before 1pm the 33ft motor cruiser, Lead Astray, called Portland coastguards to report it had lost one engine while at sea. Coastguards monitored the boat until it was safely berthed at Brixham.

At 1pm Portland rescue helicopter was sent to Dancing Ledge in the Purbecks to help a coasteerer who had suffered a suspected broken ankle.

Swanage inshore and all weather lifeboats, St Albans coastguard and the east Dorset sector manager were all involved in the evacuation.

The report came in from passing yacht, Donald Searle, due to the area being a communications blackspot.

The helicopter airlifted the coasteerer to Poole Hospital where it was met by Poole coastguards and South Western Ambulance.

Wyke Coastguards were tasked to Dorset County Hospital to man the helicopter landing site as a precaution, but were stood down.

At 1.34pm Coastguards were tasked to investigate a drifting tender at Bincleaves, Portland Harbour. Another boat, Bincleaves Rib, located the tender and took it under tow.

After an investigation, the owner of the craft was discovered and reunited with the missing tender by Bincleaves Rib.

Just before 7pm a hovercraft had to be towed back to harbour after it lost the ability to lift and got stuck in the mud at Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour.

Portland coastguards sent the Poole inshore lifeboat to help and they monitored the situation while the hovercraft was towed in by another vessel.

At 8pm Portland rescue helicopter was sent to help in the rescue of a person from the River Neath, Port Talbot. However the person was safely rescued by other emergency crews and the Portland helicopter was stood down and returned to base.

At 11.23pm the coastguards helped Dorset Police to rescue a man close to the edge of a cliff on Portland.

Portland Bill Coastguard Rescue Team were sent to Blacknor Fort on the west side of Portland following a report from Dorset Police that a suicidal male had gone missing from an address on the island.

After a search, the man was spotted by coastguards at the cliff edge. A police negotiator was secured in a coastguard cliff harness and managed to persuade the man to come back from the cliff edge.

He was then taken into custody. Once the man was safe, Portland Bill coastguards were stood down.