Aircraft crashes in Irish Sea

Rescue teams yesterday launched a full-scale search after a light aircraft with two people on board crashed in the Irish Sea.

Police were contacted by air traffic controllers after receiving a report from a pilot having problems around two miles out to sea, just north of Wallasey, Merseyside, at around 12.45pm.

A Merseyside Police spokesman said the coastguard had launched a full-scale search involving police and RAF helicopters.

Since the pilot’s last message no further contact had been received. No trace of the private airplane has yet been found.