Brighton: Body found in search for person missing at sea

The search was suspended at 22:00 BST but resumed on Thursday morning, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said

A body has been found in Saltdean following a major air and sea rescue operation off Brighton beach.

The coastguard helicopter and RNLI boats searched the sea for a missing person near Palace Pier for six hours on Wednesday.

Police said the body was that of a 21-year-old man from Brighton. His next of kin have been informed.

Officers are not searching for anyone else and the death is not believed to be suspicious.

The search was suspended at 22:00 BST but resumed on Thursday morning, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.

The body was found on the beach at Saltdean at about 08:15 on Thursday, Sussex Police said.

Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of what happened but it is not believed to be suspicious, police said.

The coastguard helicopter and RNLI boats searched the sea for a missing person

Simon Williams, coxswain mechanic at Shoreham Harbour Lifeboat Station, said the RNLI responded to reports of a person who had been "washed off" a groyne next to the pier.

"We were out for just over six hours and ended up in the dark, in driving rain, with very rough conditions and five metre waves at some points," he said.

"Please respect the water. When the weather is poor with rough seas, please stay clear of the water."

Meanwhile, Sussex Police said a woman's body was found in a separate incident off Brighton beach on Tuesday. Her death is not being treated as suspicious.

On Wednesday, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service tweeted a warning that people should be careful near water in bad weather.

It posted: "Our coast is beautiful but can be very dangerous."

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