PORTLAND Coastguards helped rescue two children from drowning in the sea and a fisherman who was blown off course yesterday.

Just after 6.30am, Weymouth RNLI and the All Weather Lifeboat were launched to locate a kayaker who had been blown offshore.

The man, who was fishing in his kayak, could not get back into Ringstead Bay and called 999 to alert coastguards.

The lifeboat managed to locate the man, and took him and his vessel back to shore where he was met by Wyke Coastguard Rescue Officers.

Portland Coastguards helped save two children from drowning after a member of the public alerted emergency services.

The incident happened at 3.55pm, when a member of the public noticed two children struggling in the water at the Sandbanks entrance to Poole Harbour and being swept out by the tide and dialed 999.

The children were waving for help and managed to cling on to a marker buoy, when Portland Coastguards alerted Poole RNLI who then launched its jet-ski to rescue the children and take them back to shore.

At 5.36pm, a 28 foot sports cruiser with four people on board was towed back to Poole Quay after it suffered engine failure outside the boathaven.