A 16-year-old girl was rescued by RNLI lifeguards after getting into difficulty whilst swimming in the sea.

The teenager was swimming with a friend when she became exhausted 400 metres off Weymouth beach and outside of the red and yellow RNLI flagged swimming area.

Powerless to swim back, her friend managed to return to shore to alert the lifeguards.

Lifeguards Emily Nineham and Josh Westlake immediately responded with the RNLI Inshore Rescue Boat and went out to the girl who at one point was unable to keep her head above water.

Once Emily and Josh had brought her safely back to shore, they treated her and administered oxygen to her.

She was more comfortable and making a slow recovery by the time paramedics arrived, after which she was taken to hospital for further checks.

The incident happened on Wednesday, August 23.

With the Bank Holiday weekend starting tomorrow, the RNLI are reminding beachgoers about how to stay safe.

 RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor, Alice Higgins, said: “The girl was in real trouble as she was rapidly becoming exhausted. Josh and Emily's response meant that they were able to prevent the situation from escalating into something far more serious.

“We would encourage anyone visiting the coast to visit a lifeguarded beach and always swim between the red and yellow flags, which is the area designated as the safest area for swimming by our professional lifeguard team. We would urge visitors to come and chat to us if they have any questions about how to stay safe at the seaside”