COASTGUARDS and a rescue helicopter were alerted after a young person got into difficulty in the water at Barton-on-Sea.

Southbourne and Lymington Coastguards went to the scene yesterday afternoon.

A spokesman for Southbourne Coastguard said: "Once on scene the youngster was out of the water and we were providing casualty care until the ambulance was on scene. Once the ambulance arrived when we passed the casualty over to them for further treatment. At this point we resumed our patrol."