Emergency services including Lymington and Southbourne coastguard teams, South Central Ambulance Service paramedics and a hazardous area response team rushed to the aid of a woman who collapsed on the beach at Becton Bunny, Barton

A MULTI-agency rescue operation involving the Coastguard and RNLI was launched after a woman collapsed after swimming off Barton beach on bank holiday Monday.

The alarm was raised shortly before 1.30pm, with reports the casualty, who is in her 60s, suffered a medical episode at Becton Bunny.

Lymington and Southbourne coastguard teams responded along with paramedics and a South Central Ambulance Service hazardous area response team.

The location and difficult terrain prevented the crews from recovering her in a stretcher to a waiting ambulance on Fisherman’s Walk.

Instead, Mudeford lifeboat was dispatched and carried her along with the hazardous area response team and coastguards to another waiting ambulance at Lymington.

No details of the woman’s condition were available from the emergency services.