COASTGUARDS and lifeboat crews rescued a man from a life raft near Portland Harbour.

Portland Bill Coastguard and the RNLI were alerted to the incident by the National Maritime Operations Centre during the early hours of this morning.

At around 2.22am a call came in about a man in a life raft drifting towards the north entrance of Portland Harbour.

A coastguard spokesman said: "The life raft became untethered from its mooring at Smallmouth Beach after safety checks were carried out by the man.

"Due to the darkness and distance the life raft had travelled in the offshore wind, the team was unable to see it from shore.

"Weymouth inshore lifeboat was tasked and quickly arrived on scene. They managed to locate the raft and recover it and take the gentleman back to shore to the awaiting coastguard rescue team.

"A welfare check of the casualty was conducted and safety advice given, the team and lifeboat crew then stood down and returned to their stations."