EIGHT people, including five children, have been rescued by a lifeboat off the coast of Port Seton.

The incident occurred after a dinghy went to the aid of two paddleboarders but then capsized.

Kinghorn RNLI Lifeboat’s volunteer crew was called out on Sunday afternoon following a 999 call reporting a dinghy and paddleboards in difficulty about one mile off Port Seton.

The volunteer crew was paged at 3.29pm by UK Coastguard and launched soon after.

Whilst approaching the scene, it was advised that the dinghy had capsized with seven occupants, including five children, now in the water.

The lifeboat was soon alongside the dinghy and pulled everyone to safety on board the lifeboat.

An eighth person was making their way to Port Seton with three SUP boards but was making slow progress, so they were also recovered to the lifeboat.

Helm Neil Chalmers said: "On arrival, it became apparent that the dinghy had offered assistance to two SUP paddlers and had then capsized a short time later.

"All casualties were taken to Port Seton, where two ambulances arrived to check everyone out, along with coastguard rescue teams from North Berwick and Fisherrow. It is understood all were allowed to go home without any need for further treatment.

"Once all casualties were safe, we returned to recover the capsized dinghy and then the stand-up paddle boards.

"We would always recommend that you check the weather conditions prior to going afloat, particularly on the sea. If you do get into difficulty, please call for assistance as soon as possible. There is sea safety and advice for various watersports available on the RNLI website."

If you see anyone or anything in difficulty at the coast, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.