A PERSON who plunged into Weymouth Harbour was rescued by a quick-thinking member of the public.

It came on a busy day for emergency services. 

Coastguards were also scrambled to help a climber who had fallen, and a person suffering seizures on a remote beach was airlifted to hospital last night.

The rescue operations came within a five hour period on Saturday - and meant a busy day for the Wyke Coastguard Rescue Team, who had started off demonstrating kit and answering questions at a fete in Weymouth.

The team's first job saw them called to Portland at just after 4pm where a climber had fallen at Cuttings Cliff, near Church Ope Cove.

Portland Bill Coastguard was leading the job and and members discovered when they go there it was possible to rescue the casualty on foot using a stretcher.

With no back-up required, Wyke Coastguard was instead directed to Weymouth Harbour for another emergency where a person had fallen into the water from the quayside, hitting their head on a pontoon as they went in.

A team spokesman said: "We were sent to Trinity Street, Weymouth.

"A member of the public had reportedly fallen from the harbourside, hitting their head on a pontoon, and ending up in the harbour.

"A bystander had immediately jumped in to the harbour and pulled the casualty clear of the water, onto the nearby pontoon.

"When on scene, South Western Ambulance asked for coastguard assistance to recover the casualty safely to their ambulance."

Once safely inside the ambulance, the injured person was taken to Dorset County Hospital for further treatment.

Then on Saturday night, coastguards were in action again to evacuate a casualty who had been suffering seizures while with a group of friends having a gathering on a remote section of the beach at Osmington.

The Wyke team worked with a team from Lulworth and a paramedic.

Due to the location, it was decided the safest way to get the person out was an airlift and a Coastguard helicopter from St Athan (Wales) was sent.

A Wyke Coastguard spokesman said: "Wyke and Lulworth team members assisted the ambulance technician with securing the casualty to one of our stretchers.

"Shortly before the arrival of the helicopter, team members transferred the casualty to a more suitable location for extraction.

"Upon arrival, the helicopter's paramedic was winched down. Due to the proximity of the stretcher to the undergrowth and trees, the stretcher was secured using a high line, allowing the stretcher to be held securely until received by the helicopter.

"When fully secured, the casualty was winched with the helicopter paramedic, and taken directly to Dorset County Hospital for further treatment, where two further Wyke team members had been deployed to man the landing site."