Jailbreak bid hit by flood

Flood victim: Len (right) on his arrival at the jail

As the Big Brother Three looked forward to their first day of freedom, their counterparts at Channel 5 spin-off Jailbreak were mopping up a flood.

Torrential rain led to water pouring into the three main areas of the mock prison in Cuffley, Hertfordshire.

The 10 inmates were convinced it was a result of the programme's makers tampering with the drains to stop them escaping through them.

Ben helped to stem the tide

The group, five men and five women, are chasing a prize of £100,000, awarded to the first prisoner who manages to break out.

They have three weeks in which to escape, with mass break-outs limited to groups of three.

Plots

But their plots and scheming had to be put on hold until the flood had been dealt with.

Inmates JB007 Ben and JB009 Len donned macs and wellies to tackle the problem.

"It is like King Canute trying to turn back the tide," laughed Ben.

Like Big Brother, the contestants have their every move tracked on the internet via 30 cameras, with edited highlights shown on Channel 5.

The latest escape plan has seen the girls link up with ex-Para Peter, after discussing the pros and cons of all the male prisoners.