IT WAS terribly sad to learn a 38-year-old man had drowned close to Brighton Palace Pier in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Despite the heroic efforts of the Coastguard and the other emergency services, the man could not be saved and he was pronounced dead when he had been brought back to shore.

At present, details of how the man came to be in the sea are sketchy and it would be unfair and indeed wrong to speculate.

However, it underlines just how dangerous venturing into the sea off our coastline can be.

The Coastguard underlined the dangers in the aftermath of this tragedy, urging people to stay safe.

Swimmers can get caught unawares by currents, or by the cold temperature of the water at this time of year.

Even during the day or in hot weather things can and do go wrong.

It is also important to have a clear head, let people know where you are going if you plan to venture into the sea and be properly prepared.

Much the same applies for the cliffs along our coastline.

Once again over the weekend, there was a cliff fall, this time at Seaford Head.

Yet still, month after month, The Argus reports on people posing for selfies while perched precariously close to the edge of cliffs.

Miraculously no one has yet died as a result of this extremely foolhardy practice.

Is it really worth dying for the sake of a selfie?

The answer is of course no.

Therefore, please take heed of the safety warnings.

They are made for a reason.