FIVE British sailors - including two from the Westcountry - detained after their yacht apparently strayed into Iranian waters have been released, the Foreign Office said today.

News of the release – reported earlier by Iranian state media – was confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran, said the Foreign Office in a statement.

It is understood that the yachtsmen - including Oliver Young of Saltash, Cornwall, and Luke Porter of Weston-super-Mare - are being towed to international waters.

The Foreign Office statement said: “The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have confirmed that the five yachtsmen have been released.

“We understand that they are being towed to international waters and will be met by a representative from the sailing company.”

David Young, whose son Oliver was one of those held, said he had heard the news from the Foreign Office and the sailors’ team manager.

Mr Young, from Saltash, Cornwall, said he was “very relieved”, adding: “We thought it would be over quickly. This is what we were hoping for.”

The Kingdom Of Bahrain racing yacht, owned by Sail Bahrain, was stopped by the Iranian navy as it sailed from Bahrain to Dubai last week.

Oliver Young, 21, Luke Porter, 21, Oliver Smith, 31, from Southampton, Sam Usher, 26, from Scarborough, North Yorkshire and Bahrain-based radio presenter David Bloomer, thought to be in his 60s, were on board.

The crew was heading to Dubai to join the 360-mile Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, which was due to start last Thursday.

Race organisers said the sailors may have been “drifting” after experiencing propeller problems.

The Foreign Office statement comes after Iran's official IRNA news agency said the yachtsmen were freed following an interrogation by authorities which found they had entered Iranian waters by mistake.

“After carrying out an investigation and interrogation of the five British sailors, it became clear that their illegal entry was a mistake,” a statement by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said.

“After obtaining necessary guarantees, it was decided to release them.”

The news of the release comes after Foreign Secretary David Miliband last night pressed his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki for information on what his country planned to do with the group.

In a personal conversation he also demanded formal consular access to the men.

The Iranian Foreign Minister said he would provide a response as soon as possible.

Rasoul Movahedian, the Iranian ambassador to the UK, also met with permanent under secretary Peter Ricketts at the Foreign Office yesterday evening.