A man's body has been washed up on a beach after being in the sea for more than two months.

The identity of the man, thought to be of an Asian or black background and in his early 20s, remains a mystery and police have appealed to forces across the South for help in finding out who he is.

The body was discovered on Tuesday by a council worker in Ovingdean, opposite St Dunstan's home for war-blinded servicemen.

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: "It is unusual to find bodies washed up in Brighton, especially after so long.

"Occasionally bodies get caught up in the tides but it's very rare and it means there's no way to establish where his body went into the water.

"It could be from Europe we don't know whether he's fallen off a boat and there's nothing on him to identify him.

"It is not being treated as suspicious but because the body is in such a poor condition we cannot rule that out.

"We're circulating details to Hampshire, Dorset and Kent and checking dental records, though that is a longer process."

The man is described as around 5ft 9in and has a black ink Oriental tattoo, possible a Chinese dragon, covering the front part of his right forearm. His teeth were in excellent condition, without fillings or decay, and his hair was black and around one inch long.

Sussex Police have released pictures of the man's clothing to try to find out who he was.

He wore a white England football shirt and brand new, distinctive Nike trainers with a pair of blue striped thermal long-johns from Marks and Spencer.

His details will go on to the National Missing Persons Helpline.

In February The Argus reported that Sussex has a particularly high number of unidentified persons compared to other counties because of its geography.

Anyone who has information which may assist in identifying the man is asked to contact coroner's officer Gordon Bushell on 01273 665525 or Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999. The NMPH can be contacted on 0500 700700 or via its website.