The Southwold Lifeboat the Leslie Tranmer

Update: Search called off following report of body close to Southwold harbour

By MARK BOGGIS Wednesday, November 14, 2012
5:23 PM

A SEARCH has been called off in Southwold this afternoon (Wednesday) following a report that a body had been sighted “floating out of the harbour.”

Police, Yarmouth Coastguard, an RNLI crew and the search and rescue helicopter from Wattisham were all alerted, and a search of the area began at about 1.30pm following the report from a member of the public, who had “seen a body in the harbour.”

It is understood that the initial sighting of the body was about 200m north of Southwold harbour.

A police spokesman said: “We were called just before 1.30pm after someone reported a body near the harbour at Southwold. Along with the coastguard and some air support we attended, but on arrival nothing was found.

“A search of the coastline was then carried out and this search ended as the light began to fade.”

A spokesman from Wattisham said: “The search has been called off at 3.40pm as nothing has been found.”

A spokesman for Southwold Lifeboat, the Leslie Tranmer, said: “We were asked to assist following a report of an object in the water, floating out of the harbour. We did not recover anything and the lifeboat is now back on station.”