A ground-breaking mission by the Hendon RAF Museum to recover a unique World War Two bomber will continue today after the project was again hit by bad weather.

Experts are attempting to lift the only remaining German Dornier 17 from the Goodwin Sands - 50 feet below water off the Kent coast.

But the salvage was called off after choppy sease threatened to shake the historic aircraft "like a rag doll by a petulant toddler".

The £600,000 project has been delayed because of bad weather on at least four occasions over the past three weeks and a further attempt yesterday evening had to be called off because of rough seas.

But this morning, the museum confirmed it “remains committed” to the project, which is being funded through the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

A salvage team will be studying weather reports today before deciding what time to continue.

A post on the project’s Facebook page last night read: “We regret to inform you that the Dornier lift has now been postponed until tomorrow, Monday June 3.

“Thank you, all of you, for your messages of support this evening. We are as disappointed as you are that we are not able to celebrate a successful lift with you this evening.

“Essentially, the wind rose suddenly making the sea on which the platform was located choppy. If we had attached cables to the aircraft and tried to pull it up, it would have been shaken underwater like a rag doll by a petulant toddler.

“This would have caused untold damage to the aircraft, whilst endangering the divers. For us this was too great a risk. So we have taken what we feel to be the prudent course of action and to try again tomorrow.”

The complex project, which has received worldwide interest, incorporates a number of ground breaking techniques for underwater recovery and conservation.

The plane, used widely in German raids during the Battle of Britain in 1940, is believed to be the 5K-AR, shot down on August 26 of that year.

Once lifted, the museum plans to carry out preservation work on the wreckage before eventually displaying it in Hendon.