Three inmates have escaped from a Belgian jail in a dramatic jailbreak on board a hijacked helicopter.

They include bank robber Ashraf Sekkaki who escaped from another prison only five years ago, reports say.

Officials say the helicopter flew into the jail near Bruges, picked up the men and dropped them 20km (12 miles) away near a major road.

They were last seen heading towards the coast in a stolen black Mercedes, after robbing a petrol station.

Sekkaki, 26, has been described as one of the country’s most dangerous criminals.

He is reported to have more than 16 convictions, including kidnapping.

Belga news agency quoted a spokesman as saying that one of the men who flew the helicopter into the jail had been left behind.

Helicopters have been used in a number of daring jail break-outs in the past.

In 2007, a Belgian Nordin Benallal got away from a jail outside Brussels after armed men flew in.

French criminals have also used the technique on at least four occasions, and Greek prisons have also fallen victim. </p

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