A man who was rescued from the sea in Brighton was feared to have gone back into the water and to have vanished.
The disappearance of the man yesterday morning (Saturday 18 June) led to a three-hour search involving the Coastguard, the RNLI Brighton lifeboat and Sussex Police.
A coastguard helicopter took part in the search which followed a 999 call shortly after 3am.
A member of the public had already helped the man from the sea to the west of the West Pier.
The man who was pulled from the sea may have been in drink.
He seemed to want to go back into the water so his rescuer called for help but lost sight of him.
Conditions in the sea were moderate to rough with an outgoing tide and a strong south-westerly wind.
The RNLI said: “Ninety minutes into the search a piece of clothing thought to have matched the description given by the informant was found in the water close to the pier but no further sightings were made.
“After three hours with nothing found, confident that the area had been searched thoroughly, all units were stood down.”
