A detective who led an investigation into a fatal collision between two ships off East Sussex has been commended for his work.

Detective Chief Inspector John Levett received a certificate of divisional congratulations for the "unusual" inquiry.

Captain Wolfram Gross, 59, died when his cargo ship The Ash and a chemical tanker called the Aquamarine collided in October 2001.

The inquiry led to Aquamarine watch officer Brian D'Esterre Roberts, 39, of Bally Macus, County Cork, being jailed for a year for manslaughter.

The chemical tanker ploughed into the rear of The Ash, which sank eight miles off Hastings, after Roberts failed to notice his ship.

Six other crew members on the 1,000-tonne Ash were safely picked up by Roberts' ship but father-of-two Mr Gross died at the Conquest Hospital, Hastings.

Senlac commander, Chief Superintendent Dick Barton, praised Mr Levett as the "right man for the job" in front of dozens of guests yesterday.

Mr Barton said the investigation had been made difficult because the crime scene lay many feet below the sea's surface and it was the first time in Sussex an inquiry of this kind had been carried out.

Now other forces with similar investigations are tapping into the expertise gained in Sussex, he said.

Mr Levett was honoured at the ceremony alongside police officers, police staff and members of the public for work ranging from the manslaughter inquiry to neighbourhood watch schemes.

Acting Sergeant John Stalley received a certificate of merit from assistant chief constable Tony Toynton for bravery facing an armed man barricaded in a flat in Bexhill and threatening to shoot any police officer who tried to get in.