A man and his dog had a lucky escape after the speedboat they were in sunk a mile out to sea leaving just the tip of it sticking out of the water.

The pair were left bobbing helplessly in the water off Old Harry Rocks near Swanage, Dorset, after the speedboat became swamped with water.

It is thought the boat was going at high speed when it crashed into a wave, sending gallons of seawater into the cockpit and forcing it under.

The back of the boat quickly sank and the pair were only rescued when a group of amateur fishermen spotted the dramatic scene as they returned to port.

The man, said to be in his 30s, was wearing nothing but a pair of black shorts when he was hauled from the water by Dave Lynes and his friends Alex and Terry Miles.

The trio had rushed to the scene in their boat Tommy J after a day fishing at nearby St Alban's Head.

The dog, an Alsation, was wearing a lifejacket and was also saved. Both the man and his dog were said to be in shock but unhurt.

Wreckage from the boat including its seat and cool box was left bobbing about in the water.

Dave, Alex and Terry made sure the man and the Alsation were ok before transferring them to a local lifeboat which had been scrambled by the coastguard.

Once back on dry land the man, who remains unnamed, and his pet were given a clean bill of health.

The boat was not as fortunate, and is believed to have sunk completely.

Mr Lynes, 57, from Bournemouth, said: "I had been on a fishing trip off the coast of Swanage with a couple of mates and we were on our way back in when we spotted the bow of a speedboat sticking up out of the water.

"We were about a mile offshore still.

"We went straight over to see what had happened and found a man and his dog bobbing about in the water among debris from the boat.

"Initially we thought there had to be someone else in the water too but it turned out just to be those two.

"The man, who was in his 30s, was in shock and the dog, a big Alsation, looked in a fairly bad way.

"Thankfully we had a platform at the back of the boat so we were able to haul them both out of the water. The dog had a lifejacket on but the man was only wearing a pair of shorts.

"We got them dry and called the coastguards, who in turn sent the local lifeboat out.

"We put a towel round them and then they were transferred to the lifeboat and taken back in.

"There was loads of stuff from the boat floating in the water including a seat and a coolbox, but all we ever saw of the boat was the small section of bow sticking out.

"It looks like the guy was driving his boat quickly and has perhaps hit a wave which has then swamped the boat.

"The man wanted us to put a tow rope on his boat and try to get it back to shore but we said we would leave that for the coastguards.

"I think it was a goner though.

"It's fair to say the guy had a pretty lucky escape - he could have been in the water a lot longer had we not come by. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time."

- Daily Echo