A former Grenadier Guardsman drowned after jumping off Brighton's Palace Pier for a bet, an inquest heard.

Tony Owers and two workmates were celebrating after watching England win the rugby World Cup in the city centre's Walkabout bar and had drunk about eight pints each.

The inquest was told they were part of a team of builders from Lancashire who had been sent to work on a shop conversion in Brighton in November.

The group went onto the pier for a drink and were walking back when Mr Owers, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, shouted to his friends.

Workmate Kevin Thompson told the hearing: "He said he bet us £20 that he would jump in and I bet him a tenner that I would as well. I thought he was just mucking about."

Mr Thompson and co-worker Phil Sergeant walked on and then turned to see Mr Owers, 27, stripped to his boxer shorts and jumping into the sea.

Mr Sergeant said: "He was swimming for about four minutes and then he disappeared under the pier.

"We saw people on the other side of the pier looking over the railings and when we got there he was about 30ft out.

"People were throwing lifebouys out to him. One landed close to him but he could not get to it and did not seem to be able to move."

Pier security officer Gary Whiley said staff were under instructions not to go in after anyone who jumped off the pier.

He said: "As far as I know, none of the staff on the pier are trained lifeguards.

"We get a lot of people jumping off the pier and we are instructed to try to help them from the pier but not to go in ourselves.

"I followed Mr Owers along the pier as he tried to swim back to shore and he seemed to be doing quite well.

"Then the weather changed and the combination of wind and current made it almost impossible for him to reach the shore.

"At the time I was thinking of putting a lifebelt on and trying to get out to him with it.

"Thinking about it now, I would have been pushed back in towards the pier and I would not have been in time to get to him."

The inquest heard that Shoreham in-shore lifeboat was sent to the scene because the lifeboat at Brighton Marina was unavailable.

The Shoreham boat was forced to stand-off when one of its engines failed, making it dangerous for it to go into shallower water.

Mr Owers' body was recovered by the Coastguard helicopter and taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, where he was pronounced dead.

Pathologist Dr Andrew Rainey gave the cause of death as drowning and said that the amount of alcohol Mr Owers had drunk could have affected his judgement.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Brighton and Hove deputy coroner Roderick Webb, said: "He was out with mates enjoying a momentous occasion when tragedy struck and resulted in a terrible waste of life."