Portland Chesil Beach flooding: 'Freak wave' throws rescuer into wall

A rescuer was thrown into a stone wall by a "large freak wave" as he and others warned people to back away from the sea during a storm.

A crowd had gathered on the sea wall to watch the storm at Chesil Beach, on the Isle of Portland, on Saturday evening.

In total, three members of a coastguard team were hurt when the 30ft [9m] wave struck.

Area manager Drew Parkinson described it as a "significant blow for the coastguard community".

A member of the coastguard crew was seriously injured at Chesil Beach (scene pictured the morning after)

A crew of 12 volunteers was sent to the scene in Chiswell at about 20:10 GMT "to provide safety advice and to usher people from the area", the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said.

'Towering wave'

They said they positioned themselves along the sea wall because bystanders were trying to get closer to the sea.

Mr Parkinson said a wave "towering 30ft [9m] up into the air… plunged over the sea wall and carried two of them around 50ft [15m] down to the main road".

The injured man was taken to hospital by South West Ambulance Service

He said the third person was "washed into a fairly sturdy stone wall and sustained very serious leg injuries".

The bystanders were "very, very lucky that there weren't more serious injuries and even a loss of life", Mr Parkinson added.

Cars were also swept up by the tide as it breached the sea defences.

The injured man was taken to hospital by South West Ambulance Service, where an operation was carried out on his ankle.

"He's had a number of pins and plates put into his leg, but he's going to be out of work for a significant amount of time while he recovers," Mr Parkinson said.

The Environment Agency said the waves were unexpectedly high on Saturday evening

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "We are currently supporting the flooded community of Chiswell on Portland following the impact of unexpected high waves on Saturday evening which overtopped the sea defences.

"Thankfully, no homes were flooded, but there was considerable debris and water in the surrounding roads and we are working with partners to assist anyone affected."

The agency has inspected the defences and said no immediate work was required, but that it would carry out further investigations in the coming week.

An MCA spokeswoman added: "We would urge people to think carefully about the risks they take and be extremely careful during bad weather - piers, rocks, harbours and the water's edge are not safe places to be."

Emergency services were seen in Portland after waves breached the sea defences