A woman who was rescued from drowning is searching for the man who saved her life at Eastbourne beach.

Jasmine Jones was just nine when she got into trouble in the sea at Eastbourne beach while on a day out with a friend and her mother in the summer of 2000.

Miss Jones, 23, a supermarket assistant from Blackboys, said she was a good swimmer then and had learned from her brother who was a lifeguard.

However, she was not prepared for an undercurrent which took hold of her and started pulling her under.

She said: “I was screaming for help as I was drowning. I had given up. I could feel myself getting weaker and weaker.

“And then I remember a man jumping in and rescuing me as I got further out to sea.”

The man shattered his kneecap on the groin when he jumped in to save her and was later taken to hospital by ambulance.

Her memory of that day is hazy but Miss Jones thinks he was a white male, aged 35 to 40. The man's name was Lawrence, he was at the beach with his young son and he worked for East Sussex County Council.

Miss Jones said she wants to find Lawrence: ”To thank him, to meet him, so he can see how the nine-year-old girl he saved is now.”

She said: ”I can't go in deep water any more because I panic and start to struggle. But I'm a grown adult and it's thanks to his bravery that day.”

Her search began with a post on East Sussex County Council's Facebook page. The council spread the word putting up posters around County Hall in Lewes and a local paper ran the story.

Miss Jones has been overwhelmed with messages of encouragement and support. So far she has not found Lawrence but she remains hopeful.

She said: “Contacting Lawrence is something I have always thought about doing. I think about it all the time to be honest.

"The memory of that day is so vague. So I just wanted to piece the picture together really. And finding Lawrence is the last thing I need.”

If you can help, contact Miss Jones on jadacus@live.co.uk