Police have been trying to identify a man whose body was pulled from a Sussex river.

Two 13-year-old boys spotted the body wedged between posts under a bridge leading to Denton Island, Newhaven.

A lifeboat was alerted and the body retrieved after an hour-long search.

Coastguard station officer Dave Riggs said: "We went to the bridge but couldn't find the body so we started searching.

"The police picked up the two lads, who told us where they had seen it and we put the searchlights there.

"As the tide went down we saw the body trapped in the uprights of the bridge.

"We couldn't reach it so we asked the lifeboat to come and pick it up.

"They took the body back to the station."

Mr Riggs said the man was in his late 50s and from the Newhaven area.

The partially-clothed body, which was discovered at about 6pm on Friday, was taken to Brighton mortuary.

Police were attempting to discover his identity at the weekend.

He is described as having greying hair and was wearing a brown jacket.

Anyone who has information is asked to contact the police on 0845 6070999.