Officers from the Environment Agency are investigating a reported oil spillage along the Sussex seafront.
Worried Hove resident Malcolm Ellis contacted The Argus after he spotted the slick from his apartment window.
The 66-year-old, of Ashley Court, said: "I looked out the window this morning and saw the oil along the seafront.
"The slicks are large, black and seem to be drifting on the waves."
Mr Ellis is worried the oil could have come from a major spill further out to sea.
He added: "I could see at least eight or nine different slicks about 20 or 30 yards from the beach. It strikes me there must be a much larger leak from somewhere out to sea."
The Argus alerted the Environment Agency to the spill and a spokesman confirmed officers would investigate the substance and possible causes later today.
A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said she has had no reports of oil-covered wildlife needing to be rescued so far.
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