Two men in dinghy 'lucky to walk away' after heading out in rough seas

Coastguards have said two men who headed out to sea in a dinghy this morning were "lucky to walk away uninjured".

Beer Coastguards were called out at 8.27am this morning (Wednesday) after concerns were raised for the two men heading towards Beer Head aboard a small dinghy. Sea conditions were rough with a force 7 southerly wind.

Once on scene, the dinghy was located just off Hooken Beach and was struggling in a heavy swell.

The independent Sidmouth lifeboat and a second coastguard team were requested as team members were needed on the beach below the cliffs, where the men could be seen being swamped and washed ashore.

Their location meant it would be 20 mins before the crew on the cliffs could get to them.

It was not long before the men were washed up on the rocks and Sidmouth lifeboat arrived on scene as coastguards reached the casualties.

A spokesperson for Beer Coastguards said: "Luckily they were not injured and had not taken in any sea water. Several team members from Lyme Coastguards were also sent down Hooken Path to the beach to assist the Beer team members.

"The two casualties were walked up to the cliff top where they were interviewed by the police. They were happy there was nothing untoward and all units stood down after we gave them a lot of safety advice about conditions and what safety equipment they should have.

"These people went out in conditions that they should not have been out in, and were lucky to walk away."