Rescuers who worked at the scene of the deadly Brighton IRA bombing 32 years ago are being sought after a police officer died from an asbestos-related disease.

Police, fire and ambulance personnel who were involved in the aftermath of the attack are being told they may have been exposed to asbestos fibres within debris.

Letters are also being sent to Conservative Party members, Brighton and Hove City Council and Sussex University Hospital NHS Trust telling them their staff may also be affected, police said.

Five people were killed and 34 others were seriously injured when the bomb detonated at the Grand Hotel on Brighton seafront in October 1984.

The intended target of the blast was prime minister Margaret Thatcher and her Tory Cabinet, who were staying at the hotel during the Conservative Party conference.

Sussex Police assistant chief constable Steve Barry, who is co-ordinating an emergency services group, stressed the possibility people may have been affected is "very small".

He felt he had an "ethical duty" to tell people that a Metropolitan Police officer who worked at the scene died from an asbestos-related disease last December.

Mr Barry said: "We are trying to identify and inform emergency service colleagues and others who may have been exposed to asbestos fibres to offer medical advice and support.

"I understand that on hearing this news people may be anxious as to whether they have been exposed to asbestos and concerned about the possible effects on their health.

"I would like to emphasise that the possibility that they have been affected is very small, but I feel it is the right thing to pass this information on.

"People could have potentially been exposed to asbestos fibres within the hotel debris and while we know that police officers working at the scene were issued with personal protective equipment, this was some days after the explosion."

Sussex Police said it was offering its officers health information and support.

Mr Barry said: "By publicising this issue, I don't wish to cause distress but inform people so they can seek health advice from their GP and to reassure them that the possibility that they have been affected is very small."