A CREW on board a cross-Channel ferry managed to put out a fire which started while the ship was 12 miles off Dover.

The fire started at lunchtime on Wednesday on board the SeaFrance ship, the Nord Pas de Calais, which was making its way to Dover from Calais. The fire caused a blackout and power failure on board the ship which was carrying mainly freight drivers.

Dover Coastguard said crews managed to get the ship’s engines restarted and the ferry later made it back into the Port of Dover. There were no reports of any injuries.

A coastguard spokeswoman said: "Thankfully, fires on board ferries are very rare, but in this case the crew did what they had to do and managed to put out the fire and it was not a major catastrophe."

The spokeswoman added that had the fire escalated, a coastguard team from MIRG - the Marine Incident Response Group, would have been sent to the ship, with specialist equipment, to fight the fire at sea.

An investigation into the incident is expected to be launched by coastgaurd surveyors.