A man has died after getting into difficulty in the sea near Brighton Palace Pier this evening, Sussex Police have confirmed.

The coastguard had been alerted to a person in the water around the pier, with lifeboats and a helicopter soon at the scene.

The man was taken to Royal Sussex County Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

A Sussex Police spokesperson said: "At 5:40 this afternoon, police were notified by HM Coastguard that they were responding to a report of a person in the water by Brighton Pier.

"A male was located in the water by the coastguard and was taken to the RSCH (Royal Sussex County Hospital) where he was later pronounced dead.

"At this time, police are treating this death as non-suspicious and are conducting further inquires to establish his identity and inform his next of kin."