A CLIMBER was airlifted to hospital after sustaining a “nasty” fractured ankle at a Purbeck beauty spot.

Emergency services were called to assist the casualty who was rock climbing part way down the cliff at Anvil Point, Swanage, on Friday afternoon.

Two Swanage Lifeboats, the volunteer Coastguard cliff rescue teams from Swanage, St Albans Head and Kimmeridge plus the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance rescued the climber at 2.20pm.

The inshore lifeboat located the casualty most of the way up the vertical cliff.

The lifeboat approached the base of the cliff and confirmed that it would be possible to extract the casualty from there if the cliff rescue team were able to lower them down.

The air ambulance landed on the top of the cliff and the medic confirmed that with the severity of the casualty's broken leg a swift extraction was required.

Cliff rescue teams worked together to set up their equipment and then carefully lowered the casualty to the base of the cliff into the waiting stretcher.

The casualty was then put onto the Swanage All Weather Lifeboat to keep warm and be monitored while they headed to Swanage to meet an ambulance and the helicopter medics.

Kimmeridge Coastguard then helped stretcher the person into helimed for transportation and further care at Southampton Hospital.

A spokesperson from Kimmeridge Coastguard said: “A very well conducted rescue amongst all assets and we wish the person all the best as recovery begins.”

A spokesperson from Swanage Lifeboat Station said: “We wish the casualty a speedy recovery.”