A boat with a waterlogged engine was rescued during the Royal Escape Race.

Shoreham RNLI lifeboat found the yacht, with two crew members on board, in trouble off the coast on Sunday night.

The vessel had a damaged engine and was struggling in "the windy and rolling sea conditions".

It was found half a mile offshore at Portslade and was towed back to the Sussex Yacht Club in Shoreham.

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An RNLI spokesman said: "Always call 999 and ask for the coastguard if you are in difficulty at sea."

The yacht had almost finished the Royal Escape Race, which is an annual event held every May.

The race launched in 1977 to mark the Queen’s silver jubilee and is one of the oldest offshore sailing races in the country.

It takes place between Shoreham and France, and follows the route that King Charles II took to reach safety in the Normandy port of Fécamp after he escaped from Cromwell after the Battle of Worcester in 1651.