A HARBOUR master today told of his belief that a sighting of a body in a marina at Wherstead was genuine despite a police search being called off after nothing was found.

Peter Edwards

A HARBOUR master today told of his belief that a sighting of a body in a marina at Wherstead was genuine despite a police search being called off after nothing was found.

The hunt at Fox's Marina ended at about 4pm yesterday after a specialist underwater search team and Thames Coastguard spent much of the weekend looking for a body.

A friend of the harbour master reported seeing a body in the water but the search failed to uncover anything.

Inspector Chris Downs said: “Specialist search teams have completed the search.

“It has been fully searched and no body has been found. There are no plans for any further search at this time.”

The search was launched on Saturday after police were called at 8.50am. It was called off late in the afternoon and resumed at 10.30am yesterday.

Ben Welham, duty harbour master at the marina, said: “A friend said he had seen a body floating in the marina - floating three or four feet below the water.

“He said he saw a hand and a foot. He was shaken up so I have no doubt it was a body.

“We took a boat down and had a feel down in the water below it.”

Mr Welham said the find had been a shock and had disrupted work at the marina.

“It has messed up the marina and caused a lot of worry,” he said.

Two pontoons at the marina were blocked off and people who keep a berth at the marina were unable to get to their boats, he said.

Mr Welham said police were called to a commotion in nearby Bostock Road at 4am on Saturday.

He said a marina customer had told him a person was missing from there and he suggested this could be related to the sighting of a body.

However a spokeswoman for Suffolk police said there had been no calls about incidents or people missing from Bostock Road this weekend.

Police look at missing persons cases when a body is spotted but no case has been linked to their work at Fox's Marina, she added.

Were you affected by the commotion at the marina? Did you see anything unusual? Call The Evening Star newsdesk on 01473 324788 or e-mail starnews@eveningstar.co.uk