EIGHT people including four young children without lifejackets were rescued from an inflatable island drifting in Poole Harbour.

Adults in the party were issued with "stern words of advice" after the incident at 4pm yesterday.

Poole Coastguard Rescue Team were asked to meet a Poole Lifeboat crew at the Royal Motor Yacht Club in Sandbanks.

They had come across a large inflatable island drifting inside the harbour entrance with eight people, no lifejackets and no oars.

A spokesman for Poole Coastguard said: "The Coastguard team met with the adults after they were dropped off at the yacht club and were given very stern words of advice for the danger they had put on their children and lack of safety equipment.

"Once this tasking was completed, the team joined the slow queue of traffic leaving Sandbanks."