The body of a woman washed up on a beach at Foulness Island could have drifted from as far away as the Suffolk or Norfolk coast.

Now Ministry of Defence police are liaising with officers in East Anglia and Kent to discover the woman's identity.

The partially-clothed body was found leaning up against the sea wall at Great Burwood by a man walking his dog on Sunday.

Police believe the body had probably been there since at least April 4, the time of the last high tide.

A post mortem concluded she had died of drowning but the death is not being treated as suspicious.

A spokesman said: "There is a large sand bank out from the beach over which the body must have been washed ashore.

"That would only have been possible with the high tide and the last one was April 4. We believe the body would have been washed up on or before that date."

The woman was white, aged around 42 to 45, 5ft 4ins tall, weighed approximately 14st and had dark hair.

The body was semi-clad in a Blue Riband black zip-up fleece jacket and Peacock underwear.

The spokesman added: "The body could have drifted from as far as the Suffolk coast in the north or Kent in the south. It is also possible she could have been on a boat. We simply don't know."

Anyone with information should contact the MOD police on 01206 782813 or the police information room on 01371 854444.

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