A lifeboat was called out to rescue two men whose small motorboat ran out of fuel with no life jackets on board.

The boat was sen drifting off of Tayport around 6pm on Friday with the two men appearing "distressed".

As light was fading, a 999 call was made to the coastguard and the Broughty Ferry inshore lifeboat was launched to rescue the two sailors.

The rescue crew found the men had no life jackets, innapropriate clothing, no means of communication and no lights in the newly-purchased boat, which appeared to have malfunctioned due to a lack of fuel.

As the tide was going out the small vessel could have been swept out to the open sea or the dangerous waters around Abertay Sands, lifeboat volunteers said.

The lifeboat was able to tow the small boat back to harbour and the two men were uninjured.

Broughty Ferry lifeboat operations manager Martin Adams said: "We encourage people to go out but to 'respect the water'.

"Motorboating is great fun to enjoy but things can go wrong.

"Engines can fail, the weather can turn suddenly, and accidents can happen. It's important that you're prepared, just in case.

"The water temperature yesterday was 12.8 degrees celsius. Cold water shock is triggered in temperatures below 15 degrees.

"Entering the water without any protection can prove to be fatal."

The RNLI have encouraged all sailors to always have a life jacket or buoyancy aid on board and have a means of calling for help.