The body of the last of four miners trapped in a flooded mine near Swansea has been found, British police said tonight.

Phillip Hill, Charles Breslin, David Powell and Garry Jenkins went missing when Gleision Colliery near Swansea became flooded.

Peter Vaughan, Chief Constable of South Wales Police, said: "We've tried to bring this safely to its conclusion. Unfortunately the conclusion we have is the one none of us wanted."

But the rescue teams were determined to carry on searching in the hope of finding the fourth miner.

One of the miners who became trapped yesterday is the father of one of three miners who managed to escape from the drift mine when it flooded.

The alarm was raised at around 9.20am yesterday, after Mr Hill, 45, from Neath, Mr Breslin, 62, Mr Powell, 50, and Mr Jenkins, 39, all from the Swansea Valley, became trapped.

The men - part of a group of seven - were stranded in a tunnel 295ft (90m) underground after a retaining wall holding back a body of water failed, flooding the shaft.

Of the three who escaped, one is now critically ill in hospital. The two other men who were with him emerged largely unharmed and were helping the rescue operation.

Neath MP and former Labour cabinet minister Peter Hain said the families of the men were going through "hell".

He said: "This is a community which has a mining history that goes back generations. There is an inbred support for miners in this kind of predicament and their families.

"Everybody is rallying around but everybody is traumatised because they've not known this horror for a generation or more."

Superintendent Phil Davies paid tribute to the rescue effort.

He said there was a lot of "emotion" among crews and they were very "passionate" about the operation.

Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan met the families of the miners affected by the incident.

"This is a distressing day for all involved," she said afterwards.

"This tragedy has touched everyone in what is a very tight-knit community. Having just met the families, I know they take great comfort in the messages of support they have received from not only the UK but across the world.

"Our thoughts are with the families at this extremely difficult time as they anxiously await news about their loved ones.

"I would like to pay tribute to the efforts of the whole community and organisations such as the Red Cross and the WRVS who have pulled together to provide valuable comfort to all concerned.

"This is an active, ongoing, highly professional operation, involving all emergency services.

"Their hard work and round-the-clock efforts are ensuring that everything possible is being done.

"I have assured the families that across Government we have worked to ensure that the rescue services have all the support they need."

She said there would be a "full investigation" into the accident.