Dramatic footage shows the moment emergency crews arrived at the scene following reports of a person in the water.

Search teams can be seen looking into the sea along Albion Groyne, near Brighton Palace Pier at around 3.50pm, while police officers sprinted up the pier.

Footage from six minutes earlier also shows a man standing on the groyne desperately shouting and waving at people on the pier in an effort to attract attention with a life ring in his hand.

Coastguard crews and volunteers from the RNLI have been conducting an extensive search of the area, which is still ongoing.

Lifeboats from Shoreham and Newhaven have been called to the scene, as well as a search and rescue helicopter.

A spokeswoman for the coastguard said: “HM Coastguard’s Newhaven, Littlehampton and Shoreham coastguard rescue teams, alongside Shoreham and Newhaven RNLI all-weather lifeboats, Sussex Police and the coastguard helicopter from Lee-on-Solent are coordinating a search for a possible person in the water at Brighton Palace Pier, following concerns first raised to the emergency services shortly before 4pm today.”

It comes as the south coast is battered by gale force winds of up to 75mph as Storm Noa hits Britain.

A yellow weather warning remains in place for all of Sussex until later this evening.