TWO beachgoers who drifted out to sea in an inflatable boat triggered an emergency rescue mission.

Rescue crews sprang into action this afternoon following multiple reports of two people in an inflatable boat in difficulty off Chesil Cove on Portland.

The coastguard helicopter and two Weymouth Lifeboat crews were called out at 4.04pm today, Tuesday, September 5.

The two people in a boat were reported to have been pushed out in a northerly direction down Chesil Beach.

When rescuers arrived at the scene, the boat and the two people were out of sight.

The Coastguard Helicopter Rescue 175 and the Weymouth lifeboats conducted searches up and down Chesil Beach.

The inshore lifeboat crew then found the couple ashore down towards the Fleet Lagoon.

The lifeboat crew returned the pair back to the shoreline at Chesil Cove to meet the coastguard team.

The two people were given a welfare check and issued with safety advice before the rescue teams returned to their stations.