THREE people had to be rescued after a dinghy was blown out to sea by offshore winds.

Brighton RNLI were requested to launch a lifeboat after reports of a small dinghy in trouble about 400 metres out to sea, west of Brighton marina.

The vessel, which had three people on board, had got into trouble due to strong offshore winds.

The dinghy had launched from Brighton beach, but was being blown further out by a northerly wind, a Brighton RNLI spokesman said.

The boat was also having issues restarting their engine.

“The Random Harvest launched and quickly got to the dinghy,” the spokesman said.

“The occupants were taken onboard the lifeboat and the dinghy was towed back to the marina.”

Brighton RNLI also issued a warning to paddleboarders ahead of the summer after two people had to be rescued more than a mile from shore.

When a lifeboat arrived to begin the rescue on Saturday afternoon, one of the paddleboarders had been in the water off Saltdean for nearly an hour.

The paddleboarders had a telephone with them and were able to call 999.

They were taken to the lifeboat station in Brighton Marina.

Roger Cohen, Brighton lifeboat operations manager, said stand up paddleboards were “very popular at the moment” and the RNLI was expecting to see many of them on the beaches this summer.

“We hope that people will take the proper precautions and steps to ensure that they can enjoy them safely on the water,” he said.

Anyone considering using a paddleboard is advised to wear a wetsuit, take a phone in a waterproof bag and check the tide and weather conditions before heading out.

If people run into trouble, the RNLI advice is to stay on the paddleboard until help arrives.

“Stand up paddleboarding can be a lot of fun, but it is important to remember that, as with any watersport, it can be potentially dangerous as well if not taken seriously,” added Mr Cohen.