AN INJURED walker was airlifted to hospital in a late night rescue.

Two Swanage lifeboats and the coastguard helicopter were called out to help an injured walker near Dancing Ledge on Purbeck at 11.45pm last night.

The walker was given pain relief and stretchered up a hill to the waiting coastguard vehicle before being transferred to Poole Hospital via the coastguard helicopter.

A spokesman for Swanage Lifeboat said: "Both Swanage lifeboats were tasked late last night to assist in the recovery of an injured walker near Dancing Ledge. St Albans Coastguard were already on scene but had requested further assistance due to the amount of pain that the casualty was in.

"The Swanage RNLI volunteers along with volunteers from Swanage Coastguard headed to the scene arriving just after midnight.

"The inshore lifeboat took two casualty care trained crew members ashore along with entonox pain relieving gas carried aboard the all weather lifeboat.

"Due to the casualty’s location the easiest method of extraction was going to be by coastguard vehicle back up the hill.

"The casualty was assessed, given some entonox to reduce the pain, transferred to a stretcher and carried up to the vehicle.

"The two RNLI volunteers needed to stay with the casualty to administer the entonox, but as the lifeboats were no longer required they were released to return to Swanage.

"As the lifeboats left the scene a message was received that the coastguard helicopter was now available so they were coming to transfer the casualty to Poole Hospital.

"Once the casualty was safely in the helicopter the two RNLI crew were returned to the lifeboat station in a Coastguard vehicle."