A British warship on patrol in the South Atlantic has rescued a couple and their two children from a sinking yacht 200 miles off South Georgia.

Carl Lomas and Tracey Worth – also known as Lord and Lady Hollinsclough and their two children, Morgause and Caitland have been cruising round the world since 2007 on board their 55ft yacht, Hollinsclough.

They struck an iceberg on Saturday en route from South Georgia to Cape Town and their emergency signal was picked up by Falmouth Coastguard and relayed to the South Atlantic.

They were unable to pump out fast enough to keep the yacht afloat and after being rescued by the HMS Clyde, they watched their yacht go down.

The family is unharmed and was returning to the Falklands last night, according to news reports.