A person waving at the bottom of a cliff as darkness fell sparked a coastguard search.

Portland Bill Coastguard Rescue Team were alerted to a suspected 'concern for welfare' report in the Blacknor area of Westcliff on the island.

The call, which came in at 9.15pm on Saturday, reported a person seen waving at the base of the cliff, near to the shoreline in the dimming light.

A spokesman for the team said: "The area was searched by the team but nothing found. Groups of climbers were seen leaving that area at a similar time to the report, many of whom were spoken to once they reached the top of the cliff and they hadn’t seen anyone in that area believed to be in danger.

"With no further reports of anyone in difficulty the team were stood down and returned to station. This was a false alarm with good intent, we would like to the thank the first informant for their concerns."