A 20-year-old man is recovering in hospital following a 50ft fall down a cliff.

The man was saved on Sunday in a joint operation involving the search and rescue helicopter, Lulworth and Wyke Regis coastguard rescue officers and staff at Dorset County Hospital.

Coastguards said the man, who was with three friends, had been trying to climb the cliff on the east side of Lulworth Cove to reach a rock near the top.

He fell and slid 20ft down the cliff face and landed on his back, before falling a further 30ft landing on his feet.

Coastguards said that the man’s friends then climbed down to him before realising they had no mobile phone signal to call for help.

Luckily a member of the public had seen the fall and dialled 999.

Station officer at Lulworth coastguard Kevin Burt said: “He was very lucky.”