TWO inmates at Lancaster Castle Prison used a workman's ladder to make a death-defying bid for freedom on Sunday.

The two men scaled a wall before precariously balancing the ladder from the castle ramparts to the branch of a nearby tree.

Both men stared death in the face by edging their way across the ladder more than 50ft above the ground before climbing down the tree.

One of the convicts was arrested immediately after falling badly and seriously injuring his leg.

The other, Paul Ellwood Bell, 33, made off on foot and is still at large.

Bell, from Cumbria, had served one year of a six year sentence for conspiracy to supply drugs.

Police launched a search operation using dogs and a helicopter following the daring escape on Sunday at 3.55pm but there is still no trace of Bell.

Prison bosses have launched an internal inquiry into how the two men got hold of the ladder and how they managed to make their escape without detection.

The police have also stepped up their search and are liaising with Cumbrian police. Although Bell is not thought to be violent the public have been asked not to approach him.

He is described as a white male, 6ft tall, with thinning blonde hair and a distinctive swallow tattoo on his neck.

Jeff Woodman, who took the picture of the ladder moments after Bell had made his escape, said: "The branch the ladder was balancing on was no thicker than a man's wrist. They really did risk life and limb. There's no way you would have got me up there."

Lancaster Castle is notoriously difficult to escape from, with only five successful breakouts from the prison in more than 300 years. It also has some of the highest prison walls in the country.