A swimmer suffered an allergic reaction to something he had come into contact with.

West Bay coastguard was paged just after 9pm yesterday by Solent Coastguard NMOC to reports of a 19-year-old swimmer who had suffered an allergic reaction on East Beach, West Bay.

Eight rescue officers from West Bay gathered their equipment and rescue vehicle before heading to the beach where, on arrival, the man was in the care of the ambulance service and walking back along the beach.

As a stretcher was no longer required, the officers were stood down to return to the station.

The man was transported to Dorset County Hospital for onward care and treatment.

A spokesman for West Bay coastguard said: “Stay safe on the coast but if you find yourself in difficulty, or if you are concerned for others, do not hesitate, dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.”

It was the second time the coastguard was called out in just seven hours on the same day.

The first call was made at about 2.30pm yesterday, when the team was paged by the NMOC to set up an emergency helicopter landing site at West Bay harbour for an inbound air ambulance.

The team was called after a power-boat pilot was killed when two competitors collided during a race at West Bay. 

A 53-year-old man from Canterbury, Kent, understood to be the boat's pilot, was pronounced dead at the scene and the boat's female co-pilot was taken to DCH as a precaution for treatment to shock.

Also in attendance was the police, South Western Ambulance Service, RNLI Lifeguards and the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat from Lyme Regis.

A spokesman for West Bay coastguard added: "We want to thank members of the public for their patience and understanding while the emergency services were on the scene.

"A special thanks goes out to the teams at the Snack Shack, the Windy Corner Cafe and other local businesses for providing water and support whilst the emergency workers were dealing with the incident."