Worried onlookers who thought they might have witnessed the aftermath of a light aircraft crash breathed a sigh of relief - after it turned out to be little more than a silver balloon.

People feared an object seen floating in the water close to Felixstowe beach was the wreckage of a microlight aircraft crash.

Fire engines, police, ambulances and the air ambulance were sent to the scene, with fire crews from Ipswich, Woodbridge, Felixstowe and Leiston attending.

But a police spokesman said: "We were called to the scene but it was a false alarm.

"Members of the public believed they saw a microlight plane on the water, but it turned out it was a silver balloon."