A man died when a late-night boating trip ended in tragedy off the Sussex coast.

Emergency services mounted an air and sea search after an empty dinghy was reported half submerged off the coast at Bognor yesterday.

Two Littlehampton lifeboats were launched and were joined by another from Selsey and a Coastguard helicopter.

The body of a man in his 40s was pulled from the sea near the end of Bognor pier yesterday afternoon.

Police believe he had been drinking before launching a dinghy in the early hours.

A friend of the man told Sussex Police he was last seen taking a boat out at 2.30am.

Police were last night trying to identify the man and trace relatives.

There were fears a second person may have been on board the dinghy and the search continued for another two-and-a-half hours.

The operation was hampered by torrential rain and the search was called off at 5.30pm.

Sea conditions overnight were said to be calm but the weather deteriorated yesterday afternoon.

A spokesman for Littlehampton lifeboat said: "Although the weather earlier in the day was good, it went downhill rapidly later and during the search was horrendous.

"Driving rain meant visibility was down to a quarter of a mile."

The dinghy was launched near Bognor Yacht Club but last night members said the dead man had no connection with the club.

A police spokesman said the foreshore officer at Bognor reported seeing a body floating in the water at the end of the pier at about 2.30pm yesterday.

He said: "The lifeboat went out and recovered the body.

"We then continued the search as a precautionary measure as there were reports a second person may have been involved.

"However, the search was later stood down. We are continuing our investigation into the matter."

The Solent coastguard referred all inquiries to Sussex Police.