A MAJOR sea search was carried out overnight after a yacht was washed ashore with no one on board.

The vessel was found at Southbourne, near Hengistbury Head, after coastguards received a report that a yacht was overdue.

Three lifeboats from Poole and Mudeford, coastguard rescue teams and a search and rescue helicopter were involved but no one was found.

HM Coastguard received a 999 call from a member of the public just after 7.15pm, reporting that a 21ft yacht was at the end of a groyne near Hengistbury Head.

Dorset Police received a report from HM Coastguard at 8.39pm of a concern for welfare for the owner of a boat. 

Poole Atlantic lifeboat launched at 10.20pm to a report of a possible person or persons in the water.

Searches were carried out from the entrance of Poole Harbour to Christchurch, working in conjunction with a lifeboat crew from Mudeford and other agencies.

Poole's D Class lifeboat was launched just before 11pm and carried out a close shoreline search.

A spokesman for Poole Lifeboat said conditions were "glassy calm" and that the yacht was in a condition where they would have expected someone to be on board.

The search continued for five hours but nothing was found and lifeboat crews were stood down by coastguards at around 3.30am.

The owner of the boat, a 40-year-old man from Bournemouth, was found safe and well in the Christchurch area.

Volunteer helmsman Jonathan Clark said: "The information that came through was that there may have been a person or people in the water due to how the vessel was found.

"Along with Mudeford we thoroughly searched a large area and were at sea for a long time, working alongside other agencies. It is a mystery how the vessel came to be ashore and this will be further investigated by the coastguard."

The search was the third service in darkness in the past five days for the busy volunteers at Poole.

Dorset Police and coastguard rescue teams were involved in a search of the shoreline and the last teams were stood down at 5am with nothing found.

Southbourne Coastguard Rescue Team is planning to secure the vessel this morning and enquiries are ongoing with the Dorset Police and HM Coastguard to find the owner of the vessel. More follows.