Several bags of cocaine thought to originate from South America and worth around £80million has washed up on the coast in East Sussex.

The illicit narcotics with combined weight of around 960kg were wrapped in waterproof bags and attached to life jackets to make them float were discovered on Monday by passers-by, who informed the police of their discovery.

Police retrieved the packages and moved them to a secure location for a full forensic examination to be carried out.

National Crime Agency [NCA] branch commander, Martin Grace, said: “This is a significant amount of Class A drugs which we think originated in South America, but we are keeping an open mind about how the drugs washed up here and where the end destination might have been.

“Clearly though, losing a consignment of this size this will represent a significant hit to the criminal networks involved.”

He added: “Our investigation is being assisted by both Sussex Police and Border Force, and is also likely to involve international partners.”