A WOMAN tourist 'behaving strangely' on the edge of a cliff triggered an emergency response near West Bay.

RNLI lifeguards spotted the woman and grew concerned after observing her for around 20 minutes at the edge of a cliff over East Beach.

Fearing she could be in distress, they called the national coastguard at Solent.

"Officers quickly picked up their equipment and headed over to East Beach to meet the lifeguards", a spokesman for West Bay coastguard said.

"A lifeguard on a rescue board offshore reported that a group of women had just moved away from the cliff edge and were now heading towards Freshwater".

Keen to have a chat with the woman and perform a welfare check, coastguard officers headed to the coast path via the golf course and performed a hasty search of the area inbetween West Bay and Freshwater.

"A woman matching the description was identified as being part of a small group of foreign tourists", the spokesman added.

According to the coastguard, the woman was given safety advice once officers were satisfied that no-one was in emotional distress.

"We want to thank the RNLI Lifeguards for their vigilance and for keeping the woman under observation until our arrival", the spokesman said.

"Have a fantastic time on the coast this summer, but If you find yourself in difficulty or if you see something which gives you cause for concern, do not hesitate - dial 999 and ask for the coastguard."