Like a scene from a Conrad novel a desperate stowaway from the Ivory Coast broke out of a ship’s jail and leapt over the side into the English Channel.

The container ship, Patricia Delmas, was 12 miles off Eastbourne at the time and after an ‘all ships’ broadcast from Dover Coastguard both a rescue helicopter and lifeboats from Newhaven and Eastbourne, as well as a ferry and a warship joined the search.

The man was found within an hour and a half and put ashore.