There have been several reported sightings of the two men

Convicted burglars Simon Allen and Shaun Dibble escaped at about 1900 BST on Monday.

They are thought to have climbed over a wall at the Category C jail, together with another inmate, Mark Picton.

But Picton, 22, was later apprehended by a former prison officer in nearby Princetown.

Picton, serving 15 months for aggravated vehicle taking, was taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg which he suffered during the escape attempt.

There is not sufficient staff at the prison to supervise prisoners at all times Don Wood, Prison Officers' Association

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said there had been no confirmed sightings of Allen and Dibble.

But there had been reported sightings from as far afield as Bath and Birmingham, which were being investigated.

Allen, 28, from Taunton, is serving 18 months for burglary, and Dibble, 25, from Bristol, is serving three years for a similar offence.

Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman Pc Baxter Provan said officers had been carrying out door-to-door enquiries and searching outbuildings and farms in the Princetown area.

"If this was a pre-planned escape then there was probably someone waiting in a car," he said.

"If they just saw an opportunity to escape then they will still be up on the moor waiting for the dust to settle before they find a phone box to call someone to pick them up."

The men are thought to have scaled a wall at the Devon prison

Local pubs, farms, businesses and taxi firms have been notified of the escape.

Concern over staffing levels at the jail has been expressed by Dartmoor prison officer and regional Prison Officers Association representative Don Wood.

"There is not sufficient staff there to supervise prisoners at all times," he said.

The on-the-run prisoners were dressed in blue denim jeans and either blue T-shirts or blue and white striped shirts.

Allen is described as white, about 5 ft 5 in and heavily built with brown hair.