A LIFEBOAT was launched yesterday after a drunk man jumped from the Brighton Palace Pier.

The boat from Shoreham went to the scene at 6.10pm after having been on a training exercise.

An onlooker saw the man from the pier and threw him a life ring.

A witness on the beach, Jamie MacMillan, took these pictures. He said the lifeboat "came screaming along the coast".

The crew arrived at the scene and, using a small inflatable vessel from their big boat, got close enough to the struggling man to rescue him. He was believed to be in his 30s.

A spokeswoman for Shoreham RNLI said: "The trouble is if you're drunk and in the water, who knows what's going to happen?

"He was lucky that someone threw him a life ring."

The man was taken to hospital after being dropped off at Brighton Marina.

The spokeswoman added: "He was concious but needed to be checked over. The water was cold."

An ambulance spokesman said: "We went to Brighton Marina to meet the patient.

"The patient went to the Royal Sussex County Hospital."

Sussex Police added: "We were informed at 6.39pm by the coastguard that someone has been rescued after jumping from the pier.

"There was no police attendance needed."