AS 2019 has come to an end, the West Bay Coastguard team are looking back on an even busier year once again.

The crew attended a total of 59 incidents last year, one more than in 2018, which was 23 incidents more than in 2017.

Coastguards treated and evacuated 17 injured people from beaches, rock groynes, coastal paths and cliff tops, searched for and helped locate 12 lost, missing and vulnerable people and responded to 10 incidents of people being in difficulty in the water or cut off and trapped by the tide.

The team investigated three reports of suspicious objects washed up on beaches, two reports of cliff falls and one report of a suspected grenade on the beach.

Rope rescue equipment was deployed seven times - twice to rescue people and dogs and five times to support coastguards and police working in hazardous locations - and the team also helped colleagues in Lyme Regis with two incidents of people stuck in mud and took over watch positions on the cliffs in response to a mayday call in Lyme Bay.

They also carried out welfare checks and gave safety advice on three occasions and responded to one report of a red flare sighting.

In total, West Bay Coastguard spent 1,261 hours on incidents and emergencies, 644 hours training and conducting safety patrols and 136 hours cleaning and maintaining equipment and vehicles, as well as spending 228 hours attending schools, groups and events and giving interviews promoting sea safety and the work of the coastguard.

The team were also filmed for a new BBC series exploring the work of the emergency services, which is due to be aired this month, and they were also filmed for a web series that looks at emergency service volunteers around the world.

They honoured long-serving team members, said goodbye to others, and received a new rescue vehicle.

A spokesman for West Bay Coastguard said: “Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of the two people who lost their lives in our area of the coast last year.

“We honoured team member Nick Dunford for completing 20 years of service in the coastguard and for receiving his long service and good conduct medal. We look forward to him serving on the team for many more years.

“We say a sad farewell to long-serving team member Trevor Knight who is retiring after serving over 23 years on the team. We look forward to giving him the proper send-off he deserves later in January.

“Long-serving team member James Radcliffe qualified as a probationary ‘officer in charge’ and will go on to complete his qualification over the next 12 months.

“We said goodbye to our trusty 16-year-old Nissan Navara rescue vehicle and took delivery of a brand-new Mitsubishi L200 sporting the new coastguard livery.

“We want to thank all of those in the coastguard, police, fire, RNLI and ambulance service, as well as the other agencies that we have worked with over the year.

“A very special thank you goes out to our friends, family and loved ones who support us in the work that we do, which can so often be disruptive to family life.

“We wish everyone the very best for 2020. But if you find yourself in difficulty, or if you are concerned for others, then do not hesitate, dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.”