Weymouth lifeboat was launched following a Mayday call.

The  RNLI all-weather lifeboat was launched at 09:09am yesterday following reports of a Mayday radio message broadcast by a range boat saying that they had sustained damage below the waterline and were taking on water.

A Royal Navy vessel HMS Magpie also responded to the Mayday call and was alongside the range boat prior to the arrival of the lifeboat and had transferred a small salvage pump onto the sinking boat.

On scene at 09:25am some four miles east of Weymouth Harbour the lifeboat coxswain sent two volunteer crew members and a larger salvage pump carried by the lifeboat onto the range boat.

With this larger pump they soon managed to stem the flow of water sufficiently enough to allow the stricken vessel to be towed to Portland Marina where it could be lifted out of the water.

While the vessel was being pumped out, the volunteer lifeboat crew were surprised when a local dolphin came along to check out what was happening.

The lifeboat was released at 11:05am and returned to Weymouth where it was refuelled and made ready for the next shout at 11:45am