A MAN was "lucky to have made it to shore" after going out on a paddle board during gale-force wind conditions.

Lulworth Cove and Kimmeridge Coastguard rescue teams, along with Weymouth RNLI, were sent to search for a person who was spotted drifting past the eastern point of Lulworth Cove on Sunday afternoon.

A spokesman for Lulworth Cove Coastguard Rescue said: "With the Lulworth and Kimmeridge teams either side of Worbarrow Bay and Weymouth lifeboat now on scene, there was no sign of the person after 40 minutes of searching.

"A member of our team who was heading to station to join the search was leaving East Lulworth and noticed a man carrying a stand up paddleboard.

"It was quickly confirmed that the man matched the description of the person seen trying to enter Lulworth Cove nearly an hour before."

The man was checked over and given safety advice.

The coastguard spokesman added: "The team were staggered as to why the man would have gone out in gale 8 to severe gale 9 conditions.

"The man's only form of communication, a mobile phone, had run out of battery. He was very lucky to have made it to shore considering the strength of the slightly offshore wind."

"We would advise against recreational use of the sea in such conditions."