A helicopter pilot who responded to an emergency involving a seriously injured climber on Portland was praised for their flying skills as the aircraft landed at the scene.

An onlooker told how the Devon Air Ambulance, landed on a narrow plateau above Church Ope Cove so it could drop off a paramedic to treat the casualty.

The climber, understood to be a visitor to Dorset, was seriously injured after he fell more than 50ft from a cliff on Sunday.

He ended up being airlifted to Southampton Hospital after being stabilised and stretchered a short distance.

The man was climbing in an area known as The Cuttings, an old railway cutting, described by UKClimbing.com as an "excellent and popular inland crag" which has easy access and different grades for climbers for all abilities.

Police, paramedics and coastguards were sent to the area following reports the man had fallen.

A Dorset Police spokesman said on Sunday: "Dorset Police was called at 10.21am to reports that a rock climber had fallen from a cliff on Portland in the area of Church Ope Cove.

"Officers, Coastguards and ambulance personnel are at the scene dealing with the incident.

"The severity of the man’s injuries are not known at this stage."

In an update later, police said the man had been airlifted to Southampton Hospital by the air ambulance.

It was the red Devon Air Ambulance which was scrambled to the scene.

Video credit: Portland Bill Coastguard Rescue Team 

William Brooks, from Weymouth, was walking in the area and came across the incident.

He said: "I didn't see the incident but I saw the emergency services people come down with their equipment. Then the air ambulance came in; it was looking for somewhere to put down.

"It landed on a narrow plateau and dropped off a paramedic, presumably to get them as close to the casualty as possible.

"It was a dramatic bit of airmanship to witness. Once they had dropped off the paramedic if lifted off and landed towards the top of the cliff on a more stable area where it shut down."

A spokesman for Wyke Coastguard Rescue Team said: "The full team were paged to assist our colleagues at Portland Bill Coastguard Rescue Team. The tasking was to a climber who had taken a serious fall at The Cuttings on the east side of the island.

"Paramedics, the Devon Air Ambulance and police were on scene.

"The casualty had fallen 50-55ft from the lower off bolts straight to the ground. He was stabilised by doctors before being stretchered a short distance to the air ambulance.

"They managed to land very close to the scene after some impressive flying. He was flown directly to Southampton Hospital.

"The teams remained on scene until all equipment was removed from the cliff."