Police divers were today continuing their bid to recover the wreckage of a fighter jet which plunged into the sea during an airshow.

Former Red Arrows pilot Ted Girdler, 62, was killed in the crash at the Airbourne show in Eastbourne on Friday.

The task of recovering the debris of the L29 Delfin in which he died began in earnest today with a five-strong team of police underwater search specialists combing the seabed.

A dive charter boat has been hired from Eastbourne Marina to help the Shoreham-based team with their search of the area where the plane crashed.

Divers searched the seabed on Saturday using echo sounding equipment to try and locate larger sections of debris.

Meanwhile, investigators were studying video footage and still photographs of the accident, witnessed by thousands of people.

The team will use lifting apparatus to pull larger pieces of fuselage out of the water so they can be taken to the shore for close examination.

Special air bags will be used to lift fragments from the seabed.

Acting Sgt Mark Cannadine, part of the dive team, said: "From the photographic evidence it appears the plane broke up quite extensively on impact but we are looking to recover as much as we can to help the Air Accident Investigation Branch.

"We have a fairly good idea of where to start looking but as yet we do not really know how large an area we will need to search or how long it will take. The only thing we are battling against is the tide."

Acting Sgt Cannadine added: "We are just keen to assist the investigation as much as we can to find out the reason for this tragic accident."

Several hundred people have already signed a book of condolence on Eastbourne seafront for father-of-two Mr Girdler, who lived in Kent.

The AAIB says it may be some time before it discovers why the pilot lost control of the plane after performing a diving roll, described by experts as a relatively low-risk stunt.

Senior Inspector Andrew Robinson, of the AAIB, said: "It will be a long time before we know exactly what happened, especially since we have not recovered any wreckage.

"We have been swamped by people who have given the police video footage of the accident which is important in the absence of flight data stored in a black box recorder."

Airbourne resumed with the approval of Mr Girdler's family.