THREE men needed medical treatment after sparking a rescue alert when they got into trouble in rough seas off Lulworth Cove.

The men, all in their late 20s or early 30s, had been coasteering off Lulworth on Saturday afternoon when they struggled in choppy conditions in the sea and managed to scramble back to shore.

The rescue alert has now led to fresh safety calls for watersport enthusiasts with the incident happening near the cave where teacher Charlotte Furness-Smith tragically died after she became trapped as she was coasteering in the area.

Coasteering is an adventure activity that involves free climbing up and along a rock face and jumping into the water to swim.

Coastguards and the Weymouth RNLI rushed to the scene off Lulworth Cove at 4.35pm on Saturday, after a member of the public reported three men in difficulty. The all-weather lifeboat was stood down after the men managed to get back to shore, but the inshore lifeboat continued to the scene.

On arrival at the beach inside Lulworth Cove the crew found all three men, in spite of wearing wet suits and protective clothing were suffering from the cold. One also had an injury to his ankle and bruising to his legs as well.

Volunteer crew member Alice Higgins helped a local doctor deliver medical treatment to the men, including administering oxygen and pain relief, until the arrival of an ambulance.

Ken Francis, a volunteer at Weymouth RNLI, said: “They were coasteering off the coast of Lulworth, but we have no idea how far they were off the coast before they came ashore.

“All three were suffering from the cold, they were almost hypothermic.

“One of them had been bashed about quite a bit as well, and had got injuries to his back and legs and had to be treated by the ambulance crews.

“They had all got wetsuits on and buoyancy aids and they were all wearing helmets so they were wearing the right equipment, but they still suffered injuries and needed treatment.”

Mr Francis has now urged people who partake in watersports to take extra care in rough conditions, with the incident happening near to the scene of a previous tragedy.

Miss Furness-Smith died in November 2013 when she was washed into a cave in Lulworth as she went coasteering with her brother along the Jurassic Coast.

The maths teacher from London was trapped in the cave and despite the coastguard’s desperate attempts to rescue her, she drowned and died. Her body has never been recovered.

Mr Francis added: “The conditions on Saturday were far from ideal.

“The wind was at least 20mph, there was a swell of two metres and it was a bitterly cold afternoon.

“We would advise people to look at the conditions and their own experience when they undertake watersports as it can be dangerous.

“They need to know if they can deal with the bad conditions as it can be quite dangerous and they could possibly be putting themselves in danger.”