Lyme Regis lifeguards who rescued a boy from the sea after he had a seizure and was in danger of drowning have been singled out for praise at an awards event.

As reported, RNLI lifeguards Ben Greenslade and Simon Davis leapt into action after a 14-year-old boy suffered a seizure at the town's beach whilst bodyboarding and was floating face down in the water.

Ben ran to the shoreline with the crash bag and Simon immediately administered oxygen and put the casualty in the recovery position to help maintain his airway.

Mark Houghton, the Lyme Regis lifeboat chairman, phoned for an ambulance and rushed to get a spinal board.

They arranged for the beach to be closed and the boy was taken to hospital.

The rescue back in August – which highlights the importance of swimming at a lifeguarded beach – has led to the trio being given the accolade for 'best incident' at an end of season RNLI Weymouth and west Dorset awards evening.

Ben, a senior lifeguard, also took home the Goldin Fin special recognition award and the 'best lifeguard' crown.

It has been a challenging summer for Dorset's lifeguards who have been carrying out their patrols and keeping people safe on the coast despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Patrols at West Bay and Lyme have now ended for the summer.

Alice Higgins, lead lifeguard supervisor, said: "As the 2020 season comes to an end, we would like to say a big thank you to all of our lifeguard team for their hard work this summer and for adjusting so well to the new ways of working.

"You did an amazing job keeping everyone safe across Weymouth and west Dorset beaches during these strange times. Have a well deserved rest and keep safe throughout the next few autumn and winter months."

She said of Ben's Golden Fin recognition: "It is an award that the supervisor team use to recognise someone who has excelled during the season. Being a brand new senior is tough enough, let alone working with additional policies and procedures due to the coronavirus, but he took it all in his stride and was always smiling."

She added: "A big thank you to all of the team for all of their hard work this summer, the busiest we have ever seen our local beaches. Look forward to working with them next summer."