The mother of a five-year-old girl who was discovered alone at a city bus stop has been found at her home.

An urgent appeal to find the mother was launched after her child was spotted sitting on a bench near Brighton Station, at 12.52pm on Friday.

The youngster arrived at the railway station on a train from London with a woman believed to be her mother at around 12.30pm.

CCTV footage showed the pair visiting a toilet in the station before walking into the city along Queens Road, Sussex Police said.

But minutes later, members of the public spotted the girl sitting alone on a bench at a bus stop near an Ibis hotel, close to the station.

Sussex Police said the mother has now been traced to her home in London. The girl has been put in social services care, a police spokesman said.

He said: "Further inquiries are continuing in co-operation with the Metropolitan Police, which is now leading the investigation."