The search for two men missing from a French fishing vessel that sank in the English Channel has been called off.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said that despite an "extensive and intensive" effort, it was ending the search for the men from the trawler The Maranello.

The crew issued a distress call at at 18:00 BST on Saturday, sparking the operation over an area south-west of the Eddystone Lighthouse off Plymouth.

"Based on all the information available and the known limits of human survivability in the water temperature, the decision has been taken this morning that the coastguard element of the search for the two missing fishermen has now been officially concluded," the MCA added.

It said: "We would like to thank all those involved in the operation for their efforts.

"Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the missing people."

A coastguard rescue helicopter, fixed-wing plane and RNLI lifeboats were all involved in the search.

The French authorities said the stricken fishing vessel had contacted another trawler, the Stradale, to say it had a problem with its fishing gear.

The Stradale managed to recover three of the five crew members before the Maranello sank, the French naval prefecture for the Atlantic added.

HM Coastguard said the three people rescued from the boat had now travelled back to France.

The search continued on Sunday before it was "suspended pending further information", coastguards said at 20:20 on Sunday.

A large number of civilian vessels had also assisted in the "intensive search" for the two remaining crew members, a UK coastguard spokesperson added.

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