A man relieving himself slipped into a water-filled ditch and drowned.

The 33-year-old victim, thought to have a bladder complaint, was driving his wife and another woman back home to Seaford in the early hours yesterday when he had to stop to go to the toilet.

He left the car at about 3am and walked off into the pitch dark to find a secluded spot.

When he failed to return, the two women got out of the vehicle and began calling to him.

A passing motorist stopped, asked if they needed assistance, and decided to raise the alarm.

He telephoned police and two officers from Kent spotted the man's body in the water in a ditch close to the A259 at East Guldeford near Rye just after 5am.

Police believe the victim slithered down the muddy bank and, despite frantic efforts to pull himself out, slipped into the deep water. Specialist firefighters from Battle, trained in water rescues, were called in to recover the man's body.

They used safety equipment including floating ropes and buoyancy jackets in the 30-minute operation.

The two women were comforted and taken to the couple's home in Seaford.

Rescuers said they had never come across a tragedy like it before. One said: "It just goes to show something as innocent as taking a leak can end like this. It is tragic."

Sussex Police quickly ruled out crime as a cause and a spokesman said: "It looks like he slid down the side of the ditch into the water and couldn't get out again.

"This appears to have been a terrible accident.

"Our thoughts are with the man's family and friends."

The man's identity was being withheld until all relatives had been told.