Man rescued from sea near Palace Pier

The coastguard and lifeboat volunteers made their way to Brighton seafront after a call from Sussex Police.

Police said there were concerns for the man ‘spotted standing at the wrong side of barriers at the end of the pier’.

The man went into the sea at around 1.20pm, police said, and was rescued by lifeboat volunteers.

Paramedics were on hand to treat the man after he was brought back to shore, the coastguard said.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “At around 1pm today, Sussex Police requested HM Coastguard assistance after receiving reports that there was a person in the water at Brighton Pier.

“Shoreham Coastguard Rescue Team, along with the Shoreham RNLI Lifeboats are on scene, with Sussex Police and the South East Ambulance Service.

“A male casualty has been recovered from the water by the lifeboat and he has been transferred into the care of the ambulance service.”

Sussex Police said: “A man has been detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act after being rescued from the sea off Brighton Pier.

“The alarm was raised at 12.53pm on Monday (January 22) when the man was spotted standing at the wrong side of barriers at the end of the pier. He went into the sea around 1.20pm and was picked up by an RNLI crew who returned him to shore at the lifeboat station at Brighton Marina.

“The man, believed to be in his mid-20s, was met by police officers and ambulance.”