Body found in Brighton after person swept into sea during Storm Noa

A body has been found washed up on a beach following a search operation in Brighton during the heavy winds of Storm Noa.

A rescue operation was under way for a person who was swept into the sea off Brighton Pier on Wednesday.

They disappeared near Palace Pier in Brighton, East Sussex, in the afternoon. Lifeboats and the coastguard helicopter scoured the shoreline in a search operation that was still continuing into this morning.

Witnesses near the scene identified the person as a teenage boy. A bystander said: “It’s tragic. I don’t think anyone is going to be able to survive in the water for very long. The waves are enormous and the winds are making it impossible for the lifeboats and helicopter.

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“There was an immediate commotion. Lifeboats were launched and the helicopter has been up in treacherous conditions. It is blowing a gale here and the wind, rain and visibility are dreadful, you can hardly see a thing.

“A large number of police officers rushed to the pier while dozens of people have been trying to spot the child in the water.”

James Deacon, a builder, added: “I was down at the front and then there was a huge commotion. People shouting that a teenage boy had been swept off the big stone groyne near the pier.

“I had a look but couldn't see anyone but the coastguard helicopter and the lifeboats were launched and have been searching for a couple of hours without finding anyone.”

A Maritime Coastguard spokesperson said: “Shortly before 4pm yesterday (12th April) HM Coastguard received reports of a person in the water at Doughnut Groyne close to Brighton Pier.

“An extensive search of the area took place throughout the evening, involving Newhaven, Littlehampton and Shoreham Coastguard Rescue Teams, alongside Shoreham and Newhaven RNLI all-weather lifeboats, Sussex Police and the Coastguard helicopters from Lee-On-Solent and Lydd.

“Further searches have been conducted from 6am this morning (13th April), in more favourable weather conditions. The search ended around 8am pending any further information.”

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Meanwhile, the body of a woman who went missing on Tuesday has been pulled from the sea near Brighton Pier.

A coastguard helicopter was also deployed from Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire and landed on a nearby beach after the alarm was raised at around 4.30pm on Tuesday.

A witness told the Brighton Evening Argus that emergency services performed CPR for “quite a long time” to try and save the woman who was found in the water.

She was taken away on a stretcher by emergency services and her death was later confirmed.

Police said her death is not being treated as suspicious and her family has been informed.

Storm Noa wreaked havoc across the UK on Tuesday with 75mph gusts of wind. Coastal areas in the South West were worst hit by adverse weather conditions, with the National Grid reporting in the afternoon that 268 properties in Devon and 43 in Cornwall had been left without power.

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A 96mph gust was recorded by the Met Office at The Needles on The Isle of White - the strongest in the UK.

Tom Morgan, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “In addition to the strong winds, we’ve seen heavy showers and thunderstorms relatively widely through England and Wales this afternoon, particularly in south-east England and East Anglia.

“We’ve also seen snow across the higher ground of Wales in the Pennines, and across the Scottish Highlands.”

Wind and rain sweeping through regions have led to rapid drops in temperature, with temperatures falling in Rothamsted, Hertfordshire, by four degrees in the space of an hour.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said: “The set up is low pressure dominant both in the South West and in Scotland.

“Overnight tonight and into Thursday, we are expecting these low-pressure systems to combine and move into the North Sea. This will leave behind showers across much of the UK with winds decreasing throughout the day on Thursday.”

Although the weather system is a named storm in France, it is not classed as such by the Met Office.