THREE fishermen were dramatically rescued just seconds before their fishing vessel sank off Portland.

Skipper Graham Gill and his crew had been fishing two miles south-east of the island when the electrical power on board their vessel, Lucy, failed allowing water to pour into the 28ft boat.

Graham's friend, Jason Hemmings, was working nearby on the bass fishing vessel, Superstar, and he came to the rescue.

Jason said: "We fish together and Graham called me up on his mobile and said he had water coming on board. He said he was heading back in and asked me to keep an eye on him.

"I didn't know what had happened but the next thing we knew he told me he was going down. So I went alongside and the three of them scrambled aboard.

"They were just in time. About ten seconds later the Lucy went down, but we had the three of them safe on board."

The Lucy sank in about 100ft of water and Graham said she would be almost impossible to salvage.

He added: "We must have hit something or the bottom must have split because water came in and knocked out the electrics and the boat just started to fill up.

"My crew jumped into the sea and I jumped, too, but I managed to grab Jason's handrail so I only got wet from the waist down.

"I'd just like to say a big thank-you to Jason for what he did. That's a pint I owe him."

Portland Coastguard watch manager Andy Jenkins: "The two vessels - Lucy and Superstar - were out together so when the boat started letting in water it called over the other vessel which was only a few hundred yards away."

All three on board Lucy were unhurt but coastguards had to spend about an hour removing debris from where the boat sank.

Weymouth Lifeboat coxswain Andy Sargent said: "As far as we know, the Lucy took on water and ended up sinking.

"We were launched but the Superstar, a bass fishing boat, picked up three people from the sinking and brought them into Weymouth."

Coastguards added that marine accident investigators had been informed.