EMERGENCY services spent three hours searching for an injured person on the West Somerset coast - only to discover the person was no longer there.

An ambulance crew was initially sent out after a 999 call reporting a person had fallen and was injured requiring medical assistance on the South West Coast Path near Porlock.

The crew then contacted the Coastguard after failing to locate the injured person during the incident on Tuesday evening.

A spokesperson from Watchet Coastguard said: "With only an estimated last known position of the mobile phone signal between Worthy Toll and Culbone Church and in an area heavily wooded and with many coast path collapses, the search area was massive in fading light.

"Our officer in charge decided to immediately request additional support from the Lynmouth Coastguard Search and Rescue, as well as requesting that the two Minehead RNLI Lifeboat Station lifeboats which were out training to be diverted to undertake a shoreline search and to check the rock scree areas on the cliffs which can easily be walked upon and slipped on and down along the coast path.

"In addition the request for air support from the Coastguard rescue helicopter at St Athan in South Wales to allow a thermal search of the woodlands and the shoreline and cliffs.

"It was not long before all these resources were on scene and joined by a police officer as liaison as the search was underway, utilising our L&MPS (lost and missing persons search) training and procedures."

After three hours of searching and with various enquiries taking place in the background by the control rooms, an update was received from the injured party that they had managed to evacuate themselves from the coastpath prior to ambulance and coastguard personnel arriving on the scene. The person was "safe and well".

All the search teams were then recalled and stood down.

The Watchet Coastguard spokesperson said: "This was a great example of inter team and multi agency working, resulting in a thorough search of the area in a methodical way as well as a series of investigatory processes in the background.

"Our advice to anyone in distress on the coast is to call 999 for the Coastguard to avoid delays in our response, where our search and rescue personnel together with the specialist assets we have can be called upon to search, rescue and evacuate and provide immediate medical support where required.

"If a 999 call is made and assistance is no longer required, always call back the emergency services to advise them to prevent unnecessary searches and the associated dangers to the emergency service personnel."