A body of a man was discovered on a beach this morning.

The corpse of a man was discovered on the shingle of Brighton Beach at 9.25am by a member of the public who then reported their find to the police.

A cordon was set up and specialist police units and a team from Shoreham Coastguard moved in and worked quickly to recover the body before the fast-approaching tide came in.

The body was discovered on the  shore near to Duke’s Mound and the Volk’s Railways just off Madeira Drive – it is unclear how long it had been there.

Police investigators are now currently working to discover what happened to the man and a police representative said the body's state of decomposition required no special measures to be taken for its recovery.

One beachgoer, who did not wish to be named, said: “It is awful to hear about this, we are just here for the day and you do not expect it - such a terrible thing.”

Workers at seafront businesses reported seeing a strong police presence on the beach and that the coroner left the scene around 12.30pm.

A spokesman for the Coastguard said they sent a response team to assist police teams and that the matter was now being left for the police.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “The body was found at the start of the Volks Railway at 9.25am by a member of the public.

“Coroners officers are working to establish the circumstances of how the body came to be there.

“The body is that of a man and there is no suggestion of his age.”

He added it is currently too early to tell if his death was suspicious.