POLICE are investigating today after reports a body has been found in water in Woodbridge. The body, which has not been identified, was found by a man in a dinghy.

POLICE are investigating today after reports a body has been found in water in Woodbridge.

The body, which has not been identified, was found by a man in a dinghy.

Anne-Marie Breach, spokeswoman for Suffolk police, confirmed a body had been discovered but said no further details were available.

She said: “A body has been spotted in water near Kyson Point, in Woodbridge, this morning.

“Police were called at 11.30am after a man in a dinghy spotted the body.

“Officers attended and are currently recovering the body with the assistance of the coastguard.”

Miss Breach said it was too early to say whether the body was that of missing pensioner Ian Prentice.

However, she said police are investigating the possibility the body is that of the 86-year-old.

Mr Prentice was last seen at his home in Sandy Lane, Woodbridge, on Sunday evening.

A huge search operation began on Monday for the pensioner as police called in the Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue team to help them.

Kevin Waterson, search manager said: “We were called out by Suffolk police on Monday afternoon. We had about 26 people during the evening, split into five teams, as well as two sniffer dogs.”

Coastguards, the police helicopter and the life boat service assisted in the search.

The wide scale hunt covered the Deben valley area, the sluice and the grounds of Notcutts Garden Centre. It was scaled down on Wednesday after officers failed to find any trace of Mr Prentice.

The grim discovery comes on the day police were putting up posters in his home town to appeal for information in an attempt to find Mr Prentice.