A pregnant woman was rescued after she fell down steps and fractured her ankle.

The woman had been walking on the coastal steps at Kimmeridge Bay on Thursday afternoon, when she fell. Coastguard rescue officers went to help a South West Ambulance team evacuated the pregnant casualty and using a stretcher they got her to a waiting ambulance.

Both the woman and her unborn child were fine, coastguards said.

Earlier in the day coastguards sent Poole inshore lifeboat to refloat and escort a speedboat back to Poole Harbour after it had run aground.

At just before 2pm Portland coastguards put a boat with engine trouble in touch with Poole harbour control.

The harbour control vessel took the sailing boat, Soolaimon back to its berth.

In the evening, two yachts helped another back to harbour after she suffered a twisted spinnaker sail and broken tiller while sailing off Christchurch.