Cladding on the UCH2 Building under construction came down on Sunday leaving a pile of bricks and scaffolding.

A McLaren statement said: “In accordance with our strict health and safety policy, main contractor McLaren Construction has carried out a thorough inspection on site with the structural engineer.

“The debris fell within the McLaren site hoarding zone, with no debris encroaching onto the public areas or local roads.

“The affected area of the project has been cleared and work on site is continuing as planned. McLaren Construction is committed to delivering the highest level of health and safety standards across our entire company.”

The neighbouring street was closed overnight while the damage was assessed, and fire crews were called to help make the area safe.

Professor Stuart Laing, the university’s deputy vice-chancellor, told the Hastings and St Leonards Observer:  “While we are relieved no one has been hurt, we want to determine precisely what happened and how it happened, to ensure something like this does not re-occur.

“The cause of the incident is under investigation by contractors and we will assist in this process in any way we can.

“The university is committed to helping regenerate Hastings and St Leonards through education at many levels, through our own campus facilities, the career-focused courses specific to our Hastings campus, and our sponsorship of two academy schools.”

When complete, the site will house trainee nurses and scientists from the University of Brighton.