A man jailed for attempting to murder a policeman was on the run today after absconding from prison.

Police warn Jonathan Andrew Raynor, 27, is dangerous and should not be approached by members of the public.

Inspector Tony McCarthy refused to say how Raynor managed to escape from Ford open prison near Arundel.

But he urged the public to call police if they spotted the fugitive, described as 5ft 10in, clean shaven with a fair complexion, black eyes and receding short brown hair.

Mr McCarthy said: "This man is considered to be dangerous. If seen by members of the public they should contact police."

Raynor, convicted of attempted murder in 1994, was serving a life sentence.

He failed to attend a roll call last night at the jail.

A spokeswoman said the prisoner would have been assessed as suitable for a place at Ford, where he was free to come and go providing he attended roll calls and slept at the jail.

It is thought he simply walked from the site.

She said: "Ford is an open prison and inmates move in open conditions.

"It works on a trust basis as part of the rehabilitation process.

"Some inmates leave the prison for work and only sleep at the jail. Raynor actually had a job at the jail.

"He would have undergone a risk assessment but of course it is impossible to be 100 per cent sure about someone."