Brighton Council Leader Calls Deaths of Three Young Women in Sea 'Tragic and Horrendous'

The deaths of three young women in the sea off Brighton were "tragic and horrendous," the city's council leader said.

Labour's Bella Sankey, leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, described it as "the most devastating news" the city had received "for a very long time." She noted the women were yet to be identified and their loved ones still to be informed.

Authorities do not yet know how the women entered the water. The coastguard has ended its search and is not looking for anyone else.

Sankey told BBC Radio Sussex: "It is probably the most devastating news that I've received in this city for a very long time. I can't think of anything more tragic or more horrendous really."

A large cordon surrounded the beach at Black Rock while emergency teams handled the incident. The beach has since reopened.

"This is the last thing that anyone wants or expects to happen," Sankey said. "The fact that these women are yet to be identified and their loved ones are yet to be informed is all the more heartbreaking and distressing."

Sussex Police said emergency teams were called at about 05:45 BST to reports of a person in the water near Black Rocks car park on Madeira Drive, which runs along the beachfront.

The women were about 20 to 30 years old. They were first spotted at Brighton Palace Pier before drifting to the marina, PA Media reported.

Officers are pursuing several lines of inquiry, including that the women may have entered the sea from the nearby beach and then run into trouble.

Brighton Marina resident Ash Middleton said: "It's very sad and I think it's just sad for Brighton as well." They added: "I'm a swimmer myself and the seas here are quite treacherous."

Judy, also from the marina, said: "It just makes it feel more poignant and frightening actually that it can happen so close."

Sankey said the council had worked hard to provide the best possible lifeguard coverage, which increases over the summer months, but added it remained very challenging.