Joe Coughlan
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The bodies of three women recovered from Brighton beach have not yet been identified by police.

South East Ambulance Service said it was called to reports of "concern for the welfare of three women in the sea off Brighton" at around 05:45 BST, but they were "declared deceased at the scene".

It is not yet known how the women came to be in the water, but Chief Superintendent Adam Hays said the coastguard has completed its search and is not looking for anyone else at this stage.

He added that "this is a tragic incident," and police are working hard with their partners to understand exactly what has happened, which includes reviewing CCTV footage in the surrounding area.

Sussex Police remain at the scene on Madeira Drive, and people are being asked to stay away from the area.

We are pausing our live coverage, but you can read more in our news story.

Image source, Getty Images

South East Ambulance Service

Shortly after 05:45 BST on Wednesday, the ambulance service said it was called to reports of "concern for the welfare of three women in the sea off Brighton".

Ambulance crews and critical care paramedics attended and recovered three women from the water, but "despite the best efforts of all those involved, they were declared deceased at the scene," a spokesperson said.

Sussex Police

Ch Supt Adam Hays of Sussex Police told a press conference earlier today that the force is in the very early stages of enquiries into this "tragic incident", with the priority being to identify all three women and contact their next of kin.

He added that police are working hard with their partners to understand exactly what has happened, including reviewing CCTV footage from the surrounding area.

The beach will remain closed east of Volk's Railway Black Rock car park for the rest of the afternoon.

HM Coastguard

A number of coastguard rescue teams from across Sussex were deployed to the area earlier today, while three RNLI lifeboats also attended.

The coastguard has completed an extensive search of the water and they are not searching for anybody else at this stage, according to Ch Supt Adam Hays.

The police and crime commissioner for Sussex Police has described the incident in Brighton this morning as "awful".

Katy Bourne says in a post on X that her thoughts are with the friends and loved ones of the three women who died.

She adds: "We must allow police to investigate and refrain from speculation at this time."

Keir MacKenzie and George Carden
Reporting from Brighton

Most of the emergency services have now left the scene on Madeira Drive, with three police vans remaining.

It is understood that Black Rock car park will be closed for much of the afternoon.

Jilly Francis, who lives near to the scene, describes what happened here this morning as "horrifying".

She says this is the "worst" incident she has known to happen in the area.

Asked whether this part of the beach is a common area for people to swim, Pam Hinchliffe says: "It seems to me that people tend to swim down by the pier, or by Sea Lanes, or over in Hove."

These images show the police scene on Madeira Drive in Brighton earlier today after the bodies of three women were recovered from the sea.

The coastguard has finished its search of the area, but Sussex Police say Brighton beach will remain closed east of Volk's Railway Black Rock car park for at least the rest of the afternoon.

The public is being asked to stay away from the area while officers work at the scene.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

We're working to bring you more details about the incident in Brighton this morning, in which three women's bodies were recovered from the sea. Here's what we know so far:

• Emergency services were called at 05:45 BST over concerns about "a person" in the sea, police say
• Three women's bodies were recovered from the water near Madeira Drive
• The coastguard has finished its search and Sussex Police's Chief Superintendent Adam Hays says they are not looking for anyone else
• The beach will remain closed for at least the rest of the afternoon
• Three RNLI lifeboats and a number of coatsguard teams took part in the search earlier
• Ch Supt Hays says the priority is to establish the women's identities
• Police are "working hard with their partners", including gathering CCTV from nearby homes and businesses, he says

The leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, Bella Sankey, has released a statement.

She says: "I am shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the deaths of three women off the Brighton coast this morning.

"My heart goes out to the friends and family of these women and on behalf of Brighton & Hove, I send sincere condolences.

"I would also like to thank the emergency services for their quick response and combined efforts. It is heart-breaking that their recovery efforts have ended in such tragic circumstances."

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

That was a brief update from Sussex Police - but we did learn that the Coastguard are not looking for anyone else, after three bodies were recovered from the water this morning.

Here's Ch Supt Adam Hays' statement in full:

"At around 05:45 [BST] this morning emergency services were called to Brighton beach to concerns for the welfare of a person in the water.

"Very sadly a short while after the bodies of three women were recovered from the sea near Madeira Drive. This is a tragic incident. We are at the very early stages of our enquiries.

"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.

"This includes gathering and reviewing CCTV from the surrounding area, including from properties and local businesses nearby. Our partners in the Coastguard have completed an extensive search of the water and at this stage we are not searching for anyone else.

"The beach will remain closed east of Volk’s Railway Black Rock car park for at least the rest of the afternoon. We are asking the public to please stay away from the area while we work at the scene.

"Anyone with any information that could help our investigation could contact us online via 101 quoting Operation Ledmore. We will provide further updates as soon as we can."

Ch Supt Hays now says police are "working hard with their partners", including gathering CCTV from homes and businesses, to understand exactly what has happened.

The coastguard have completed their search, and are not looking for anyone else.

The beach will remain closed for at least the rest of the afternoon.

The statement has now ended, and he doesn't take questions.

Chief Superintendent Adam Hays begins the news conference by saying this was a "tragic incident".

He says that emergency services were called at 05:45 BST to reports of "a person" in the water.

The bodies of three women were then recovered, he says.

Click watch live at the top of the page - or stay here for key lines.

Sussex Police are about to give an update to the media, after the bodies of three women were recovered from the sea at Brighton this morning.

We'll bring you what they have to say - and you can watch live at the top of the page.

Image source, BBC / George Carden

Image source, Getty Images

We can now bring you reaction from local MPs.

Brighton Pavilion MP, Sian Berry, says: "Unbearably sad news this morning. My thoughts are with the families and friends of these three women.

"Huge appreciation for all the work the emergency services are doing in a hearbreaking situation."

Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven MP, Chris Ward, says: "This is deeply tragic news and understandably very concerning for our community and everyone affected.

"I would like to thank our emergency services for their swift response and the difficult work they continue to carry out at the scene."

What we know

• The bodies of three women were recovered from the sea near Madeira Drive in Brighton this morning
• Emergency services were called at 05:45 BST over "concerns for the welfare of three women in the sea", police say
• Three RNLI lifeboats and a number of coatsguard teams took part in the search
• Sussex Police's Chief Superintendent Adam Hays described it as a "tragic incident"
• The search is ongoing, the police said a short time ago

What we don't know

• We don't know who the women were, or why they were in the sea. Ch Supt Hays earlier said "fast-moving enquiries" were ongoing to confirm their identities
• It's not known who raised the alarm, or whether the three women were part of a larger party

• The police have not given more information about why the search is ongoing

As we reported earlier, a police news conference is expected at 12:30 BST. We'll have it live in this page.

Sussex Police has confirmed a search is ongoing at Brighton seafront.

The force says it is unable to provide any further information. They earlier said three bodies were recovered from the water.

We are expecting an update in the next hour.

Sussex Police are expected to hold a media briefing at 12.30 BST, after the bodies of three women were recovered from the water near Madeira Drive this morning.

We'll have all the key lines on this page.

A large police and coastguard presence remains at the scene in Brighton - with a number of emergency vehicles stationed in the Black Rock car park on Madeira Drive.

Here are the most recent images we've had:

Image source, George Carden/BBC

Image source, George Carden/BBC

Meanwhile, our reporter George Carden has sent this audio report from the seafront:

As we've been reporting, a coastguard helicopter has been seen in Brighton this morning.

In a new statement, HM Coastguard says a number of rescue teams were deployed - from Shoreham, Newhaven, Littlehampton and Birling Gap.

Three RNLI lifeboats also attended, in addition to the South East Coast Ambulance Service and Sussex Police.

George Carden
Reporting from Brighton beach

There are really rough seas off the coast of Brighton this morning - strong winds are causing the waves to crash against the shoreline.

Sussex Police has extended the cordon to the whole of the Black Rock car park by the front.

There are at least seven police vehicles and four coastguard vehicles at the scene.

Image source, PA Media

We can bring you some more images now from the seafront where both police and coastguard vehicles are parked.

Officers in hi-vis clothing are positioned on the pavement above the beach - while a police cordon has also been set up.

Image source, George Carden/BBC

Image source, George Carden/BBC

Image source, George Carden/BBC