Hopes fade for Channel swimmer

The swimmer left Dover at 0400BST on Saturday

Coastguards have scaled down the search for a man who went missing while trying to swim from England to France after hopes of finding him alive faded.

Swiss Ueli Staub, 37, was last seen at about 2000BST (1900 GMT) on Saturday night, 16 hours after setting off from Dover on the 20-mile (32-km) journey to Calais.

Mr Staub's escort vessel, the Lady Sarah, raised the alarm after it lost sight of him a mile north of the French port's harbour entrance.

A spokeswoman for the British coastguard said the chances of finding him alive were now "very slim".

We have no knowledge of this swimmer or his escort boat and pilot

Channel Swimmers Association

After an extensive search of the Channel waters, the hunt for Mr Staub was scaled back on Sunday afternoon. An Anglo-French emergency towing vessel is still keeping a lookout.

Mr Staub had notified Dover coastguards of his attempt.

A spokesman said: "Whoever was escorting him and the swimmer himself must have thought he was capable of completing the crossing.

Shipping alert

"He was only a mile from the shore of Calais and normally the sea is calmer the closer to shore you get."

He said the sea had been "choppy, but not rough" on Saturday.

The Channel Swimmers Association (CSA), the governing body of cross-Channel attempts, said it had not been informed of his plans.

Mr Staub went missing a mile from Calais

A CSA spokeswoman said: "We have no knowledge of this swimmer or his escort boat and pilot.

"We would like to express our great sadness in hearing of the loss at sea of a swimmer, but must stress this activity was not being carried out under our supervision."

Two members of the association also tried to swim the Channel on Saturday from Dover to Calais.

A woman completed it but a man had to be taken ashore by his escort boat.

Although the crossing from Dover to Calais is 20 miles in a straight line, swimmers have to complete a greater distance battling tides.

A call has been put out to all ships using the busy sea route to keep a watch for Mr Staub.