A MAN who had been refused entry to the country was rescued after jumping into the sea from a ferry transporting him to the Netherlands.

The Home Office has confirmed an Iranian man had to be rescued after leaping from the boat off the coast of Harwich on Wednesday.

Border Force officials had refused his entry to the United Kingdom when he had arrived on an earlier boat.

No immigration application had been submitted at the time of his attempted entry meaning he was not entitled to stay.

Harwich RNLI were called just before 11am to reports a man was in the water close to Harwich International Port.

The Harwich Inshore Lifeboat was launched and found the man had been recovered by a another boat.

After he was initially checked over at the port, the lifeboat team took him back to the station where he was left in the care of the ambulance service.

A spokesman for the Home Office confirmed the man had been rescued by members of Harwich RNLI after he had gone into the sea on Wednesday.

He said: “Following a rescue operation by the RNLI, the immigration case of an Iranian man was referred to the Home Office.

“His case will now be dealt with according to the immigration rules and this will include appropriate support.”

The spokesman confirmed people who are refused entry to the UK are not routinely escorted when they are on return journeys back out of the country.

Decisions are made based upon a risk assessment which is made with all the information available to officers at the time.

Two illegal immigrants died after jumping from a ferry leaving from Harwich International Port in February 2014.

Leonard Isufaj, 27, and Artur Doda, 24, leapt into the water and tried to swim ashore in February 2014.

The Albanians had been found hiding in lorry which had been coming into the country from the Hook of Holland earlier that day.

The pair jumped from the side of the boat in bid to reach Landguard Point which was no more than 500 metres away but could not reach it because of the strong current.

Their bodies were washed up on beaches at Harwich and Felixstowe weeks later.