A 59-year-old was found dead in a room at a seafront hotel.

The man, from Seaford, was discovered at the Holiday Inn, in King's Road, Brighton, at around 12.30pm today. He was believed to have committed suicide.

A major search had been launched a day earlier after his car was found in a car park close to the seafront in Seaford.

Emergency services said it contained a note indicating he planned to harm himself.

The Newhaven RNLI lifeboat searched the coastline from 9.30pm to midnight on Wednesday while a coast guard helicopter carried out an aerial inspection. Coast guard officers checked along the cliffs at Seaford Head.

Sussex Police said the man had been reported missing at 3pm on Wednesday.

The force said it was not yet able to publish the man's name because his family were still being contacted.