Two people rescued from a 15ft vessel off the Dover coast are said to be being questioned on suspicion of being people smugglers.

Lifeboat crews were called out just after 8am today to the two, believed to from a EU country, four miles from Dover.

The two were then transferred by Dover lifeboat crew to Border Force staff.

Sky News was today reporting that an examination of the vessel discovered a large number of empty life jackets, but no sign of any migrants.

The two men are said to have been taken to Dover port for questioning by immigration enforcement officers. Their vessel has also been seized.

James Clapham, RNLI Coxswain for Dover Lifeboat Station in command of the City of London II Severn Class ALB said: “We efficiently managed to locate the vessel using our direction finder which tracks the direction of VHF Radio frequencies from our position. Their location was very close to the South West edge of the Goodwin Sands."

Press spokesman for Dover Lifeboat Station Ed Baker said: “The persons on board the vessel did not have any navigation or GPS equipment to navigate safely or efficiently at sea. Please remember to respect the water and carry appropriate equipment on board which you are competent to use to navigate your vessel safely."

More follows...