Man rescued from the River Arun

The was man reported to police as a high risk missing person at 2.24pm, after he had discharged himself from hospital in Chichester.

He was found shortly after 5.30pm at the river bridge in Littlehampton.

He was on the wrong side of the barrier with a rope around his neck and was threatening to jump.

The area was sealed off and police negotiators tried to engage with the man, who was known to have mental health issues. He was seen talking on a mobile phone, frequently changing position and intermittently removing and replacing the rope.

At 7.37pm, having removed the rope, the man plunged into the River Arun, but was immediately pulled from the water by the crew of an RNLI lifeboat standing by at the scene.

He received attention from paramedics before being taken to a mental health unit for treatment.