DETECTIVES hunting murder suspect John Anslow were today following up several calls from the public after appealing for information on BBC1’s Crimewatch.

Anslow, 31, from the Tipton area of the West Midlands, was sprung from a prison van which was attacked shortly after leaving HMP Hewell Grange prison, near Redditch, on Monday.

A nationwide search was launched to find him as ports and airports were ordered to be on alert in case he tried to flee aboard.

Det Supt Martin Evans, who is overseeing the inquiry, said: “We have received several calls into the incident room and detectives have already begun to examine this latest information.

“Our dedicated team of detectives will now follow up these lines of inquiry.

“We’d already had over 60 calls from across the country prior to Crimewatch so the response from the public has been really encouraging.

“We remain determined to catch Anslow and are continuing to liaise with other forces and agencies nationwide. Our officers are working closely with colleagues at West Mercia and West Midlands police forces.