Two bodies have been recovered from the base of the cliff at Beachy Head, just weeks after three others were found at the notorious suicide spot.

One body was spotted on Wednesday just east of the Beachy Head lighthouse but poor visibility meant coastguards could not reach it until yesterday.

A second body was spotted nearby by the Eastbourne and Birling Gap cliff rescue teams.

The bodies, of a man and a woman, were brought to the top of the 535ft cliff near Eastbourne late yesterday.

Sussex Police said last night it was too early to know whether the deaths were related.

A Dover Coastguard spokesman said strong south-westerly winds could have washed them ashore at the same time.

On Saturday, January 17, three bodies were recovered from Beachy Head. One had been stabbed and bound before being thrown from the top of the cliff.

Detectives launched a murder inquiry but have been unable to identify the victim.

Detectives suspect he was tossed from the cliff inside a 50-gallon blue plastic barrel found beside his body. He may have been murdered elsewhere.

A computer-generated image published in The Argus and screened on BBC TV show Crimewatch has failed to yield clues to his identity.

The other two deaths are not being treated as suspicious.