TWO women and a dog were rescued from a cliff after they fell while out walking.

Fears for the women's safety were raised after they failed to return from their walk on the Isle of Wight yesterday afternoon.

A sea and land search was sparked just before 9pm last night. Coastguards and police officers battled against heavy rain and high winds in a bid to find the women, aged in their 20s, and the collie dog.

The search was focused along St Catherine's Downs to St Catherine's lighthouse, with paramedics on standby throughout the search.

Eventually the two women and their dog were found just after midnight in undergrowth and bracken in a gully near the foot of a cliff, which they had fallen into after becoming disorientated.

According to coastguards they had no means of raising the alarm themselves.

The two women were winched to safety by the Solent Coastguard helicopter.

The dog was also led away to safety by ground search teams and was reunited with its owners. Coastguard sector manager Mick Forsyth-Caffrey said: "This was an extremely difficult search in atrocious weather and arduous conditions.

"We are all extremely pleased that we were able to locate the ladies."