A missing man sparked a multi-agency search along the west Dorset coast.

A 69-year-old man was reported missing in the Golden Cap area on Sunday evening, with concerns increasing for his welfare.

Emergency services, including police, lifeboat crews and the coastguard, were called at 6.20pm.

Lyme Regis RNLI and coastguard teams from West Bay and Lyme Regis assisted police in a shoreline search.

A spokesman for Lyme Regis RNLI said: "The volunteer lifeboat crew carried out a widespread shoreline search stretching from Golden Cap in the east to Monmouth beach in the west.

"Coastguards stood down the lifeboat crew after almost two hours when nothing had been found."

This was the 12th emergency call answered by the volunteer Lyme Regis RNLI crew so far this year.

West Bay Coastguad Rescue Team was also paged by Solent Coastguard NMOC (National Maritime Operations Centre) to a request for assistance from its flank team at Lyme Regis.

Dorset Police and the NPAS helicopter were already in the area searching.

Eight rescue officers from West Bay made their way to the station, picked up their equipment and vehicle then headed for Charmouth.

The West Bay team were tasked Eastwards to Stonebarrow and the Cains Folly areas to carry out a cliff edge search, as well as a search of the surrounding footpaths and viewpoints.

Officers from Lyme Regis concentrated their search to the west on the beach and cliff area’s towards Lyme Regis, whilst the lifeboat carried out a shoreline search between Golden Cap and Monmouth Beach.

After all searches were completed with nothing found, all officers were stood down pending further police enquiries.

The man was later found safe and well out of the area.