THE identity of a woman whose body was plucked from the North Sea 18 miles off the Suffolk coast was still a mystery last night.Police forces across the country have been asked to check their missing person files in a bid to find the identity of the woman who is thought to have been aged between 35 and 50 years old.

THE identity of a woman whose body was plucked from the North Sea 18 miles off the Suffolk coast was still a mystery last night.

Police forces across the country have been asked to check their missing person files in a bid to find the identity of the woman who is thought to have been aged between 35 and 50 years old.

The crew of an air-sea rescue helicopter taking part in the Lowestoft Air Show yesterdaywas diverted to deal with the emergency.

The helicopter from Wattisham Airfield, near Needham Market, was flying in north Suffolk to take part in a planned display with a RNLI lifeboat as part of the first day of the air show.

However, when a body was discovered floating in the sea off the Suffolk coast, about 18 miles east of Sizewell, the helicopter crew was sent to investigate.

The drama began at about 11.45am when the crew of the North Sea ferry Norcape reported seeing the fully clothed body of a woman floating in the sea about 18 miles south-east of Lowestoft.

Great Yarmouth Coastguards alerted the Lowestoft lifeboat and the crew set off to recover the body.

"As the Wattisham helicopter was already in the air as part of the Lowestoft Air Show the crew were also sent to the scene," said a coastguard spokesman.

The helicopter crew were able to recover the body and take it to the mortuary at the James Paget Hospital at Gorleston.

The Lowestoft lifeboat was able to return to port.

A spokeswoman for Norfolk police said a post mortem examination is due to be carried out by Home Office pathologists at the James Paget Hospital today.

"It is believed that the body may have been in the water for some time and Norfolk police are asking other police forces to check their missing person files," said a the spokeswoman.

Police officers are not revealing any details of how the woman may have died and are waiting for the results of the post mortem before releasing any more information.