The family of a woman found dead at the foot of a cliff have spoken of their grief.

Sarah Pearce, 39, was discovered by Sussex Police at the foot of Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Officers on a routine patrol spotted her red Ford Ka parked at the top of the 525ft cliff and her body was found just before 1.30am.

Mrs Pearce, of Orbital Crescent, Watford, had been reported missing to Hertfordshire police by her parents at around 2am after she had not come home.

Parents Peter and Bernadette and sister Ruth said in a statement: "Sarah was a beautiful, loving, sensitive person, whose journey through life was not easy.

"We tried to help her and she tried to help herself, but unbeknown to us, this difficult journey took her to a point where she no longer felt able to continue.

"It seemed though, in recent times, her journey through life was simply a quest for inner peace, something most of us take for granted.

"Now she has found this and we and her friends must take some comfort from this."

The family thanked the police officers who dealt with them and the coroner's office in Sussex for their acts of kindness.

An inquest has now been opened and adjourned.