A yacht found off the coast of Newport in Pembrokeshire may have been stolen said the Milford Haven Coast Guard yesterday. It is also possible that the yacht simply broke free of its moorings in Fishguard and drifted down to Newport.

The possibility that a thief had absconded with the yacht and subsequently fallen over board was enough to raise the alarm. A search and rescue operation has been launched to “cover every eventuality”. The Fishguard lifeboat is searching the area and an RAF Sea King helicopter was brought in from Devon.