A "DANGEROUS" sex offender who went on the run from an East Lancashire psychiatric hospital has handed himself in -- 300 miles away in London.

Today Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said it was "mind-boggling" and "very, very disturbing" that Roland Chamberlain had managed to reach the capital.

He called for a full independent inquiry into Chamberlain's 26-hour disappearance after he had been allowed out unsupervised from Kemple View hospital, Langho, to go to Blackburn for a shopping trip.

A spokesman for the hospital said a full internal review would be carried out to see if any procedures had broken down.

Chamberlain, 39, who has convictions for sexual and violent offences, which police say include rape and indecent assault from 1996, was allowed out of the hospital unsupervised on Tuesday.

He left with a mobile phone and a passport in the name of Roland Smith. Airports and ports across the country were put on alert. However, police and staff at Kemple View managed to make contact with him on his mobile phone yesterday morning and, after several hours of negotiations, managed to persuade Chamberlain to hand himself in.

Chamberlain went to Belgravia police station, London, around midday.

He was the third person to go on the run from the privately-run low security hospital this year.

In January, John Hill, 32, escaped from within the hospital itself while serving a sentence for making threats to kill. In June, Anthony Roberts, 38, left the hospital after being allowed into the grounds. He had been sentenced to life for attempted murder in 1991.

Mr Evans said: "It is very, very disturbing. He was not just a danger to the local community as clearly he has got as far as London, which is mind-boggling.

"There has to be a full inquiry and I would like the police to be involved as it will not be good enough for an internal inquiry.

"I believe protecting the public has to take precedence and that anyone who is allowed to leave Kemple View should be searched."

Carol Friend, a spokesman for Kemple View, said the internal investigation would look at how Chamberlain managed to have a passport.

She added: "We will review all the information to see if there is anything we need to change, or need to do in the future.

"They are not always searched before leaving. We are trying to build trust with them. His treatment programme has him currently in what is called the Responsible Living Group. This programme is about preventing any re-offending."

She added that a decision would now be taken whether Chamberlain should be sent to another hospital.

At hospital Chamberlain was taking medication, without which he is said to become 'agitated.' But Mrs Friend said his health condition would not have deteriorated quickly.