MYSTERY surrounds a macabre riverside discovery today as police, coastguards and lifeboat crews fished out a body out of the water on the edge of the River Orwell.

MYSTERY surrounds a macabre riverside discovery today as police, coastguards and lifeboat crews fished out a body out of the water on the edge of the River Orwell.

The body, believed to be that of a young man, was discovered by a member of the public lying in the mud near to the West Bank Terminal in New Cut West, Ipswich, at around 7.15am.

Police taped off the gateway to New Cut West which leads to the old railway line while officers stood on the track looking down over the dock wall and into the water.

The crew from the Harwich inshore lifeboat recovered the body at 8.45am and then took it by boat to Orwell Yacht Club.

They carried the body ashore at the yacht club near Bourne Bridge.

At this stage it remains unclear how the body came to be in the water but police do not feel foul play was involved.

Police are concentrating their inquiries on where the man is thought to have entered the river.

It is believed the body may have drifted some distance up river as the tide was on its way in.

A spokesman for Thames Coastguard said: "We were called by Suffolk Police at 7.42am after a member of the public notified them of a body in the mud near to the West Bank Terminal at Ipswich Docks.

"Thames coastguard led the incident and were assisted by Holbrook Coastguard, a local coastguard sector manager and the Harwich Inshore Lifeboat.

"The crew of the Harwich Inshore lifeboat recovered the body from the mud and brought it ashore."

The RAF helicopter was considered to assist in the recovery but because the body was in the mud and not in the water and in view of the weather conditions, it was decided that the helicopter was unable to get to the location.

A police spokeswoman said: "There is nothing to indicate foul play at this stage.

"The coroner has been informed and a post mortem examination is expected to be carried out later today or tomorrow."

Coastguard Peter Creasey, who is station officer at Holbrook, said: "We were alerted by police who had received a call from someone who spotted the body in the mud. We got to the scene at 8.10am to help retrieve the body."

He said the body was believed to be that of a man and added many people don not realise that coastguards lead an operation like this.

He said: "In this sort of environment, involving mud and water we are the ones best equipped."