Man trying to swim to Calais has been found after 8 hours

A male swimmer found after nearly an eight-hour-long search by rescue teams on Sunday.

The man was trying to swim from Dover to Calais unaccompanied before he was spotted by a passing vessel about 500 metres off Dover.

Emergency services in Kent were alerted when a member of the public called the coastguard to say that their friend was trying to swim to France.

The call came in around midday, and it was then that the rescue operation started and continued until 8 pm when the man was found.

Reports suggest that when he was found, the man was cold and tired but otherwise in good condition. PA news agency understands that the incident was not related to migrant crossings.

The English Channel that lies between Dover and Calais can be very dangerous for swimmers, as it is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.