Body found in river

James Mortlock

SPECIALIST fire crews were called in to pull a woman's body from a Suffolk river after police found missing pensioner.

A spokesman for Suffolk police confirmed the body dragged from the River Stour at Sudbury was that of May Campbell, who disappeared from her home in the town on Wednesday.

He said police search teams had failed to find the missing pensioner until a member of the public reported finding a coat at the side of the river yesterday evening which was similar to the one worn by the pensioner when she was last seen.

The spokesman said: “We were ranking up the search and in the process of sending out specialist teams when she was found in the river.

“A member of the public reported finding a woman's coat by the river and it was similar to the description of the coat the missing woman was last seen in. We attended and the coat was found next to the river and it was considered the woman could be in the river. The body was then seen in the river between the Croft and the Mill Hotel near the big sluice gate and the bridge.”

He said officers were unable to get at the woman's body so called in specialist fire service teams: “They couldn't reach her themselves so the fire brigade was asked to assist.”

The woman was certified dead at the scene and the spokesman stressed there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. The coroner has been informed and an inquest will be held at a later date.

A spokeswoman for the fire service said two water rescue teams - one from Bury and one from Ipswich - were called to the scene at 10.30pm yesterday to assist police remove a body from the river.

She said the teams used dinghies and specialist equipment designed to rescue people from water to get the woman's body on to the bank. The operation was over by around 1am this morning and the crews, including a fire engine from Sudbury, continued to help police for another hour.