A MAN had to be rescued from the water near Durdle Door this evening.

A number of emergency services including the coastguard, RNLI, and ambulance were called to the scene at around 5.20pm.

The incident happened near to the Durdle Door Holiday Park in West Lulworth, according to a spokesperson for South Western Ambulance Service.

Weymouth RNLI sent out a crew on its inshore lifeboat and, on arrival, found the casualty, a man believed to be in his 30s, ashore with one member of the coastguard team.

A spokesperson for the RNLI said: "The casualty was airlifted and taken to hospital with suspected hypothermia.

"Coastguard then asked us to do a shoreline search for another suspected person in the water out of concern for their welfare.

"The all-weather lifeboat was launched at 6.20pm and both lifeboats searched along with two coastguard helicopters.

"It turned out the second person was actually someone who had gone to help the man and they were safely ashore."

A spokesperson for South Western Ambulance Service added the man rescued was "conscious and breathing" when he was recovered from the water.

He was airlifted to Dorset County Hospital, Dorchester.