Police investigating after girls ‘followed and touched in sea’ by men on Brighton beach

‘The area was very busy at that time and so we believe a number of people will have witnessed this behaviour,’ says police investigator

A 32-year-old man, from Hayes in west London, has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault against a woman but was released on conditional bail while the police investigate (PA)

A man has been arrested in Brighton after the police received reports of a group of men ‘following and touching’ girls on a beach.

Sussex Police are now looking into a slew of sexual assaults in Brighton which were reported to them and urging victims and witnesses to get in touch.

A 32-year-old man, from Hayes in west London, has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault against a woman but was released on conditional bail while the police investigate.

Local officers received a third-party report of a group of men sexually assaulting and harassing women and girls on the beach at roughly 6pm on 19 July.

Police arrived at the scene where they were told lifeguards had received several reports involving the same group - with the girls said to have been followed and touched in the water.

Mark Taylor, an investigator for Sussex Police, said: “These are concerning reports and we are urging anyone who was a victim to sexual, inappropriate or offensive behaviour on Brighton beach that day to come forward so we can establish the full circumstances of what happened.

“The area was very busy at that time and so we believe a number of people will have witnessed this behaviour. If you have any information at all, no matter how small, please get in touch with us.

“We take reports of sexual assaults incredibly seriously and encourage people to report any incidents to us at the soonest possible opportunity, so we can identify any offenders but also support and safeguard any victims.”

The police said all incidents are reported to have occurred on the area of the beach between Brighton Pier and the lifeguard hut towards the east - with the reported incidents spanning from 1pm to 5.30pm.

Sussex Police urged anyone who has any information to ring 101 and quote serial 1051 of 19/07 or get in touch with the police via the web.