Emergency services launched a search mission after a sunken boat was seen off the coast of Herne Bay.

Coastguards and Whitstable RNLI Lifeboats were dispatched at 10.15pm last night, with reports of red flares being sighted at the boat, which was just below the waterline.

Herne Bay coastguard deputy station manager Matt Stickels said: “We were called to a report from Kent Police of a sunken boat off Herne Bay harbour.

“After an initial search the vessel was located with just the bow above the water line. Whitstable lifeboat was tasked to assist with getting the vessel ashore.”

There was no sign of anyone on board, so Kent Police tried to track down the boat’s owners by contacting the owners of a trailer left in Neptune car park, but ruled out any connection between the two.

A search was carried out by lifeboat crews between Herne Bay and Whitstable, but by 12.45am nothing was found, and they stood down.

Mr Stickels added that coastguards returned at 5am this morning to make a final effort to find the owners, but with no identification on the property, there was nothing more that could be done.