A five month old baby suffered horrific burns after an afternoon in the sun.

The little boy suffered 20% burns to his body as his mother enjoyed one of the hottest days of the year on Brighton beach.

Police are now investigating a possible case of child neglect, although no arrests have been made.

Update - baby now released from hospital, click here for more

The child was spotted by Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) patrolling Brighton seafront as temperatures hit more than 25C at about 4.15pm on Sunday.

Officers became concerned about the welfare of the baby boy and took him to the Seafront Office on Kings Road to seek help.

An ambulance was called and the boy was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton.

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: “An ambulance was called for the five-and-a-half month old baby boy who was visiting Brighton from London with his 29-year-old mother.

“Paramedics who attended the scene believed the boy was suffering from 20 per cent burns to his body.

“The baby was taken to Royal Sussex County Hospital.

“No arrests have been made.”

Police said that as the baby and his mother had been visiting Brighton from London, the case had been transferred to Metropolitan Police who would be investigating whether there was a child protection issue.