Three women's bodies found in the sea at Brighton

[BlackTogetherAgain]

This is absolutely heartbreaking.

Why didn't anyone report three women were missing?

If it's a Channel crossing, from what I understand, it's rare that women go on the boats from France, and when they do they are pushed to the back / bottom, where the risk of being crushed is high.

If it's not a crossing, what on earth has happened?

Words can't express how evil this is.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cwyg508gg28t

I also grew up there - my childhood spanned the seventies, eighties, and nineties - and a large group of us used to go clubbing in Brighton in the mid-Nineties. None of us ever dreamt of going into the sea at night or anytime after drinking - total death sentence! I'm amazed that people did this, but perhaps we were just a cautious bunch!

The OP did in her initial post, and all the usual suspects ran with it. Most of them probably don’t even know where Brighton is, just that its by the sea and therefore ‘migrants’. If it had been Newquay they would have done the same.

I grew up in Blackpool and there was often news of someone missing in the sea. Many people underestimate the dangers of the sea. Tides move rapidly and even when the sea looks as calm as a mill pond, its what we cant see that is dangerous x

There are lots of signs on Brighton beach. But if people are very drunk and it's dark they wont take any notice and they wont listen to reason.

I live in Brighton and this happens quite often unfortunately. It's a party town and West Street (which leads down to the beach) on a Sat night is utter drunken carnage usually.

This is hugely tragic but a lack of signs is not what caused this.

Police now saying they didn't attend the student nightclub that evening.

In all the many photos there is just one temp windbreaker-style sign that just says "Danger". There is nothing saying anything about the currents or the steep shelving. I was in Brighton recently, sitting on the beach in the town centre, and I saw no signs at all.

It's not enough to have a crappy sign or two saying "Danger". There needs to be a comprehensive education programme in the city about the easterly currents and the fact that they push you under for much of the way to Newhaven; the steep shelving and what that means for safety, the quick tides, and the areas a few miles east and west of Brighton where you can get cut off. And the fact that there is no mobile signal at the bottom of the cliffs at places like Peacehaven (where you can get cut off) and further along. There should be leaflets, information ads on buses, articles in the press at the start of the summer season and the start of the uni year; the universities should invite the emergency services to speak at freshers' orientation, and those Respect the Sea pins should be sold at many, many more places.

After this triple tragedy, I DO hope the town will put its back into raising awareness about sea safety. I won't hold my breath though.

Yep- they are not thought to have attended Quarters nightclub but that does not mean they didnt attend another club or bar or that alcohol wasn't involved.

It seems quite bizarre that three people would choose to go swimming in that area of the beach at that time in the morning considering the weather and sea conditions.

I'm not sure they chose to go swimming, especially as they were fully clothed. It's quite possible that they went down to the water to admire the power of nature, as I have done myself after a night out in Brighton, a wave swept one of them in, and then the others tried to help. Or that a wave swept them all in. The tide was high and that steep shelving is an absolute menace. The high tide/steep shelf combo is what did Gareth Jones in.

I live in Brighton - the beach has many signs about sea safety including red and yellow flags for when the water is dangerous, danger signs posted warning about steep shelving of the beach, strong undertows, and rapid changes in conditions. There are lifeguards at certain times and the council website has lots of info on safety on the beach: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/libraries-leisure-and-arts/seafront/sea-swimming-safety-brighton-hove

I am not really sure what more you expect - you cannot nanny people 24/7.

Brighton is my home town and I'm there frequently. I spent months back there in chunks 2022-2025 caring for my dad. Maybe I'm just blind, but I didn't see any signs.

You can't nanny people, but you can educate them, and imo the city has not done anywhere near enough of that. As I said above, an education programme is needed. Gareth Jones' son has been doing his bit. He helped get a water-safety film made. It should be shown in Brighton cinemas before the main films.

Well the signs are there- I have seen them, I walk my dog along the beach most days. They also have lifeguards during certain times. That rather proves my point that unless you are paying attention to the signs they are a bit pointless. Imagine how little notice you'd take of them after a few pints.

Yeah, and in the dark, too. That's why I think a comprehensive water safety campaign is needed, not just signs.

If this triple tragedy doesn't inspire such an education campaign, nothing will.

I am going to write to the council to suggest that the film made by GJ's son should be shown in Brighton cinemas before the main film.

I think thats a good idea.

I know we dont know if they were drunk or not but I also think responsible drinking should be a safety theme. Lots of people get into trouble in Brighton due to excessive drinking.

Yes, good point. Sea and alcohol do not mix.

Sadly no amount of warning signs will stop reckless behaviour, especially when alcohol is involved.
Every summer without fail there are tragedies of teenagers, usually male, who have taken a swim in a lake and drowned. It happened to the teenage son of a work colleague of mine. There were big warning signs, life belts, but it doesnt seeem to be any deterrent. Parents of those teenagers lost in lakes/reservoirs, have mounted big campaigns on the dangers, gone into schools to educate the youngsters, distribute leaflets, and yet still every summer without fail, there are youngsters who think it wont happen to them. Tragically it can and it does xx

There was a suggestion on the bbc last night that the pier area might be involved. They put up a graphic with the pier on it and how the bodies could have washed to where they were found.

yeah I remember that whole stupid tombstoning trend in Plymouth where someone died and a man ended up paralysed from the waist down (he was drunk)

You wouldnt think it would be necessary to tell people its dangerous to jump into the sea on to rocks from a great height and even if you do, when people are pissed they dont care

The thing is, Brighton tries really hard to mitigate against this. The clubs all employ extra bouncers on busy nights who regularly pop to the beach to cast an eye around, and on Thursday - Sunday nights, Brighton Beach Patrol, which is a charity run by one of the big club security companies that a lot of the bars and clubs donate towards, patrol the seafront redirecting people and keeping them safe from the water, and there are more police on patrol in those areas.

On Friday and Saturday nights, Safe Space Brighton operates at the church right next to most of the bars and clubs offering first aid, water, emotional support and arranging lifts home for people who’ve had too much to drink and their night and gone awry, and Home Safe runs a buddy scheme, walking people home if they’ve had a big night and are vulnerable.

Unfortunately these girls were out on a Tuesday night, which is not a big night out in Brighton generally so those safeguards were not in place, and on a busy night or an early morning with better weather that area of the beach would normally have other club goers, early morning runners and swimmers etc. It’s just tragic bad luck, awful timing and a spur of the moment choice that’s had terrible consequences.

I'm now wondering if they're not students afterall, but maybe somehow "offgrid", especially if as PP said they weren't at the student night.

It seems incredible that families of students in Brighton wouldn't have beem in touch with police, or that other students wouldn't. I know there are loner students who maybe wouldn't be missed quickly (my son was one), but these women had friends. Wouldn't the University do a 'role call' in circumstances like this?

Or perhaps they do know most of the information, but won't announce until a final family has been contacted. It's all very sad.

I’m reading that they still haven’t identified them and therefore haven’t notified next of kin?

Yes, also, if they havent even identified who they are yet how on earth can they know for sure they werent at that nightclub?

I’m wondering this too.

Also - without being sexist - it’s normally groups of men flinging themselves in to bodies of water.

Three fully clothed women seems more like an accident - maybe a rogue wave. Plus it’s been freezing this week .. sea swimming not appealing!

It seems incredible that families of students in Brighton wouldn't have beem in touch with police, or that other students wouldn't. I know there are loner students who maybe wouldn't be missed quickly (my son was one), but these women had friends. Wouldn't the University do a 'role call' in circumstances like this?

Not really- my son is currently at university up north, I dont ring him every single morning to check he got home ok from the night before, that would be weird behaviour on my part.

Also, when I was a student I regularly went out or the entire night and wasnt up early and I also missed some early lectures - all quite normal

Firstly, Brighton has multiple universities - there’s University of Sussex, Brighton Uni, and then there’s places like BIMM - the specialist music college, and Brighton Medical School - there are students from all over the world and as lots of the courses have ended for the summer, it would be easy for someone to not be missed immediately, and for it to take time to work out where they study at all.

Brighton Uni has over 17000 students, and Sussex Uni over 19000, lots of whom have drifted off for the summer. Additionally, the universities in Brighton have a high volume of students living in the community not in halls so it’s not as simple as a “roll call”.

And then there’s the reverse - students for whom Brighton is their hometown but they’ve just come home for the summer whilst studying at other unis. They might well go on a student night, but they aren’t affiliated with any local higher or further education institutions, and with their families used to them being away from home and being in that flurry of early days back and drifting to and from friends’ houses, it would be easy for them not to be missed straight away too.

@PortSalutPlease exactly- there is no way the universities in Brighton would be able to roll call everyone. There are simply too many of them