EXMOUTH'S all-weather lifeboat was launched in the early hours of Sunday morning after Portland coastguards received a 999 call reporting a fishing boat was in difficulty in the surf at Budleigh Salterton beach.

EXMOUTH'S all-weather lifeboat was launched in the early hours of Sunday morning after Portland coastguards received a 999 call reporting a fishing boat was in difficulty in the surf at Budleigh Salterton beach.

When the RNLI crew arrived they found a small 16-foot fishing boat with one man onboard.

Portland coastguard said the Orkney fishing vessel, Strike, was entangled in nets, causing engine problems and resulting in the vessel grounding on the beach.

An RNLI spokeswoman said: "The man was having trouble with his engine and struggling to get his boat out of the surf.

"The crew threw a line and towed him off the beach, returning him to Exmouth.