A man plunged to his death from a block of flats as horrified neighbours begged him not to jump.

Residents in Sussex Court, which overlooks Sussex County Cricket Club in Eaton Road, Hove, called police after they were woken by the sound of breaking glass.

People living in the flats have described how they saw the man smashing windows at around 5am today.

Neighbours leaned out of their windows and pleaded with him not to jump seconds before he fell to his death.

Emergency services were called and police officers saw the man fall to the ground as they arrived.

Paramedics and a doctor also rushed to the flats but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The entrance to the six-storey apartment block was sealed off while officers conducted door-to-door inquiries.

Last night residents living inside the flats could not believe the tragic incident had happened on their doorstep.

An elderly woman whose ground floor flat faces the spot where his body fell was too upset to talk.

Will Harris, who lives in a flat on the ground floor, said: "I slept right through it but my flatmate heard it.

"When I left for work in the morning the plaza area which you have to walk through to get to the main door was cordoned off and there were police all over the place and an ambulance. We had to leave the building through a side door.

"It's a terrible thing to have happened."

Some neighbours left messages on The Argus website.

One said: "The man was my neighbour, but I didn't know him. This is so horrific and disturbing. He was smashing his windows at 5am, some poor people were leaning out of other flats having been woken up by the commotion, as were myself and my partner - who also witnessed the event.

"They were pleading with him not to jump, I heard this through an open window. I could not bring myself to look. I think this is another shocking sign that people need to be more aware of mental health issues, this sort of thing seems to happen far too often in this day and age. It is such a terrible tragedy."

Another said: "He was a friend of mine that sadly could not seem to be helped. What a tragic way to end a life. How desperate he must have been to do this."

The flats remained taped off and people were stopped from walking to the entrance until mid-morning.

A white pillow lay by a bench close to the spot where the victim fell. The forecourt at the entrance to the flats was hosed down to remove signs of the tragedy before police removed the tapes.

Police who saw the man fall to his death have been offered counselling.

Officers tried to calm him down and talk to him but they were unable to prevent him falling.

The incident is being treated as a sudden death and the Coroner's Office has been informed. Police have not named the dead man.

Due to the presence of police, the matter has been referred to the

Independent Police Complaints Commission as a matter of routine.

Did you know the man who died? Call the newsdesk on 01273 544519 or leave your comments below.