AN inquest has been opened into the death of a man whose body was recovered from the sea.

A huge search operation was launched on Saturday, January 16, when Gareth Jones was reported missing.

The 69-year-old had been walking his dog Connie and not returned to his home in Hove.

Police, coastguard teams and lifeboat crews searched the shoreline in Brighton and Hove throughout the weekend. The search was scaled down on the afternoon of Sunday, Januray 17, when officers viewed CCTV footage which appeared to show Gareth and his dog being swept into the sea.

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Police recovered Gareth's body from the water’s edge at Tide Mills, near Seaford, on Tuesday, January 19.

Connie, Gareth's brown cockapoo, was also found dead on Brighton beach on Monday, January 18.

The inquest into Gareth's death was opened on Friday in Brighton.

Gareth, a father-of-three and self-employed management consultant, was born in Cardiff and had previously worked as a lecturer at universities in several countries as well as being the head of HR at the BBC.

The coroner adjourned the full inquest until April 14 at 2.30pm at Brighton Coroner's Court.