A woman’s body has been recovered from a popular swimming spot in Essex.
Police cordoned off parts of Chalkwell beach in Southend, Essex after being called by the coastguard over concerns for the welfare of a woman in the water at 10.15am.
Essex Police said the woman’s death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.
Paramedic crews, a rescue helicopter and the Southend Coastguard team attended the scene but the victim could not be saved.
One witness described the beach as still busy with sunbathers when the police turned up.
An air ambulance was dispatched to the area and was seen circling above the beach but was then stood down. Southend RNLI also launched their lifeboat at 11am to help in the rescue attempt.
