Bodies of three women recovered from the sea in Brighton

Pacing the Shingle Beach at Brighton this morning, officers of the Coast Guard looking for clues.Something which might explain why three women died here, their bodies pulled from the sea after an emergency call was placed just after daybreak, voicing concern about the well -being of a person in the water.

This is a tragic incident and we are at the very early stages of our inquiries.Our priority right now is to identify all three women and contact their next of kin.I know this incident will be highly distressing for the community and we are working hard with our partners to understand exactly what has happened.

The police have made clear that they're not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.The weather was bad here this morning and the sea off the Sussex coast can be particularly dangerous at this time of year.

When the emergency services got here this morning, it had only been light for around half an hour or so.The spring tides here in Brighton are always big, and at around the time this incident unfolded, the current would have been at its strongest.

At this swimming club in Brighton, they run courses on sea swimming and getting to know the dangers particular to this town's shoreline.

It's quite a steep beach, and so there can be really sudden drops if you're not careful.sort of aware of that, you're going to find yourself underwater really, really quickly.Also just the impact of cold water, so people don't understand about cold water shock and the impact that that can have.Right now, in May, that sea is about 10 degrees, that's really, really cold, and that can have a really serious impact on your body.

The Coast Guard completed their search this afternoon.The police say they're reviewing CCTV footage gathered along the seafront in their investigation into what happened here in the hours before dawn.Their immediate task, though, to find out who the victims of this tragedy were.

Just had a statement, Mary, in the last few days.from a nightclub along the coast here about a mile or so up from where I'm standing.It says, the nightclub's called Quarters, it says they confirmed They are confirming that they're supporting police with their investigation.Says we are aware of an incident that took place on Brighton Beach on Tuesday night alongside all other local businesses and venues.We're supporting the police in their inquiries.We understand that the victims were young women aged between 20 and 30 and that they were first spotted in the water at Brighton Palace Pier before they drifted down to this end of the beach.

No update from the police this evening.So we assume that the task of identifying and contacting the victim's families is not yet complete.