Police are hunting for three prisoners serving sentences for crimes including rape, grievous bodily harm and robbery who absconded from an open jail.

Admi Headley, Wayne Maycock and Paul Bromwich are considered a risk to the public, Avon and Somerset constabulary said, appealing for help tracing the men.

The trio were last seen at HMP Leyhill, a category D prison in south Gloucestershire, at 4.45pm on Sunday and have links to the Manchester area, said the force, which has alerted Greater Manchester police.

Headley, 34, is described as black, 5ft 10in tall, of slim build with brown eyes and short black hair. He has a tattoo on his left arm. Maycock, 33, is white, 6ft 3in tall, of medium build with green eyes and brown hair. He has a tattoo on his right shoulder and scars on his forehead and both arms. Bromwich, 54, who also uses the name Smith, is 6ft tall, of medium build with blue eyes. He wears glasses and has a scar on the left side of his face and tattoos on both arms.

Their disappearance comes less than a week after two men escaped from HMP Pentonville in north London, although both have since been apprehended.

Police urge anyone who sees Headley, Maycock or Bromwhich to phone 999 and tell the call handler they are phoning in relation to log 1050 of 13/11.

Any information on where they may be can be passed on to police by calling 101 and quoting the same log.