Sudanese man is arrested after allegedly trying to steal a Ramsgate trawler with its crew asleep to 'collect his family'

The 30-year-old Sudanese man boarded the whelk trawler Carousel in Ramsgate's Royal Harbour at around 3am while three crew members slept below deck, started the engine and revved it so hard the mooring ropes snapped, sending the vessel adrift. Co-owner Olly Swift, 31, said the man was "like a man possessed" and that his crew were "scared for their lives" before bringing the boat back under control.

Swift fears the Carousel may be a write-off, with Stephen Williamson of co-owner Lynn Shellfish calling it "very lucky" the crew was aboard to intervene.

Nigel Farage said he had spoken to Swift following the incident, posting on X: 'Our country sinks deeper every day.'

Kent Police confirmed the man remains in custody while officers establish the full circumstances of the incident.