An air and sea search was sparked off Tankerton this afternoon after a 20ft cruiser was found drifting with no one on board.

An RAF Sea King helicopter and Whitstable lifeboat are involved in the hunt for anyone who may be in the water.

The search team found the boat's generator running and secured it with an anchor and conducted a patterned search of the surrounding seas.

But the search was called off soon after when the owners were discovered safe.

They had gone ashore in a small tender leaving the cruiser which had subsequently broken its moorings and drifted away, sparking the emergency response.