A COASTGUARD helicopter was called to help a search in the early hours of the morning.

The chopper was heard off Hove at 1am, where spotlights were used to search the shoreline and in the sea.

It hovered over an area near the Peace Statue before moving slowly towards the West Pier.

Coastguard teams from Newhaven and Shoreham joined the search on the ground.

The Argus:

Meanwhile the Shoreham and Brighton RNLI teams also joined the search.

The Argus:

It is understood they were searching for a missing man.

Police said: "The helicopter was called in relation to a search for a vulnerable person, who was later found safe and well."