A full emergency search for a crashed aircraft in the Solent has been called off - after it was thought to be an optical illusion.

Crews from Solent, Portland, The Needles and Yarmouth coastguard were all involved in the search this afternoon.

However Hampshire police have confirmed that the search has been called off when the only aircraft that could have been involved landed safely in Alderney.

Guests at The Needles Old Battery on High Down, Totland Bay, who were drinking tea in the panoramic cafe, had claimed to have witnessed the aircraft dropping into the sea.

However it is thought what they actually saw was a white plane, which was flying low, close to a white fishing boat that was dropping items overboard - and in fact they blurred to form some sort of optical trick.