Sheerness crash man missing after running from police into sea Published duration 25 March 2017

image copyright Google image caption The car hit bollards in Strode Crescent before the man ran off and in to the sea

A man who went missing after running into rough seas as he fled police following a crash in a stolen car is believed to be safe.

The search began after the Renault Clio hit a bollard in Sheerness, Kent, just after 23:00 GMT on Friday.

It has now been called off after police said they believed the man found his own way out of the water.

Three people were detained on suspicion of taking a car without consent.

A 19-year-old woman and a 29-year-old woman who had been arrested on suspicion of taking a car without consent were later released without charge.

Suspect still missing

A 27-year-old man from Sheerness, also arrested on suspicion of taking a car without consent, has been released on bail.

A Kent Police spokeswoman said the search for the missing man resumed at 10:00 after overnight searches were carried out, but has now been called off.

Det Ch Insp Adam Ball said: "The sea was extremely rough and there was a genuine concern for the man's safety.

"However, after extensive enquiries, we now believe that he found his own way out of the water.

"Initial inquiries suggest that the Renault Clio had been stolen earlier that evening from the car park of a pub in The Leas, Minster-on-Sea."