The search has been called off for two French fishermen missing in the Channel south-west of Eddystone lighthouse.

A crew from the RNLI in Salcombe joined the operation to assist crews from Plymouth, Falmouth and Newlyn, a coastguard rescue helicopter and a fixed-wing plane.

Support was provided by the regional operational centres of surveillance and rescue (CROSS) Gris-nez and Corsen in France.

A number of private vessels and French fishing vessels along with the French Navy Loire-class vessel BSAM Garonne and one of their Dassault Falcon 50M Triton search planes also joined the search.

The five-strong crew of the trawler Maranello made a distress call at 6pm on Saturday and the multi-agency search continued on Sunday before being suspended that evening.

The trawler came from Saint-Brieuc in Brittany.

Three fishermen were rescued by another trawler called the Stradale after they reported a problem with their fishing gear.

They are are now back in France after two received medical attention in Plymouth and the other in Truro.

The captain is one of the two missing men according to the French Minister of the Sea and Fishing Catherine Chabaud who praised the: ‘Exceptional cooperation between British and French assets and notably the work of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Falmouth which coordinated the search.”

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) spokesperson said on Monday morning that despite "extensive and intensive" searches since Saturday night, "no trace" of the missing crew members has been found.

Salcombe RNLI sent The The Baltic Exchange III on the operation.

She is a Tamar-class lifeboat and arrived at the station in 2008.

As an All Weather Lifeboat, she can launch in most conditions.

The worst conditions they have in Salcombe are a South Easterly Gale with a Low Spring Tide, this makes crossing the Bar at the entrance to Salcombe harbour very challenging but the ALB and its crew will launch in those conditions if needed.