A naked man seen walking into the sea at Southend in the early hours of this morning sparked a major search by rescue services.
The man was spotted heading for the water at around 1.30am.
Worried witnesses called police who in turn alerted the coastguard to start a thorough search.
A spokesman for Southend police said: "We received a couple of reports from people who had seen a naked man heading out to sea.
"The RAF helicopter was scrambled and the coastguard alerted but neither the man or a pile of clothes was found."
A thorough search of the area by Southend's two lifeboat crews, the rescue helicopter and the coastguard search team continued until 5.30am today, but no-one was found.
Rescue workers believe the man may have gone for a swim and got out of the water further along the coast.
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