IT could be several days before the identity is known of the woman whose body was found floating in the North Sea off the Suffolk coast.A post mortem examination on the body which was due to be carried out yesterdaywas postponed.

IT could be several days before the identity is known of the woman whose body was found floating in the North Sea off the Suffolk coast.

A post mortem examination on the body which was due to be carried out yesterdaywas postponed. Home Office pathologists at the James Paget Hospital at Gorleston will now conduct the examination on Monday, August 4.

The body was discovered floating in the sea about 18 miles off Sizewell by the crew of the North Sea freight ferry Norcape on Thursday.

It was recovered by the crew of the air sea rescue helicopter based at Wattisham Airfield, near Needham Market, and taken to Gorleston hospital.

A spokeswoman for Norfolk police said that the body had been in the water for some time. It was fully clothed and it is thought the woman was aged between 35 and 50 years old.

Police officers are not releasing any details about how the woman may have died or if they are treating the death as suspicious.

Forces across the country are being asked to check their missing person files in a bid to identify the woman.

Suffolk police were one of the first forces to check their missing person registers as soon as the body was discovered but it is not thought the woman is from the county.

"Checks are still being made but at this stage there is nothing to connect the body with anyone reported missing from Suffolk," said a police spokesman.

Coastguards who were first alerted about the body said the woman could have come from a wide area if, as suspected, she had been in the water for some time.

Experts will be studying recent wind and tide movements in a bid to discover where the woman may have come from.

The helicopter crew from Wattisham were heading to north Suffolk to take part in a rescue exercise as part of the Lowestoft air show when they were diverted to deal with the real-life drama.

The crew found the body relatively quickly and took it to the hospital mortuary but were unable to take their scheduled place as part of the air show.