Concerns for a person looking for a lost dog triggered a search by the coastguard.

The alarm was raised during a coastguard training exercise when officers from the Swanage all-weather lifeboat were contacted by the national coastguard station and asked to perform a cliff-line search on Wednesday evening.

The search was carried out from Durlston Head to St Albans Head following concerns for a dog owner searching for a missing dog last seen in the Blackers Hole area.

The inshore lifeboat (ILB) headed back to station from the training area in Studland Bay. Meanwhile the lifeboat proceeded to Durlston Head and began its search around ten minutes later.

Sea conditions by the cliffs were flat, so the ILB was asked to join the search, under the command of a lifesaving manager visiting to help training.

Both boats were heading west when, just approaching Seacombe Quarry, St Albans and Swanage volunteer coastguards reported that they had found both dog and owner safe and well.

Both boats were released and were back at the station around 10.10pm.