Police have not yet announced the identity of the man found dead in a mid-Essex river.

A member of the public on their bike saw his partially-submerged body in the River Blackwater in Braintree at about 7.15am on Friday.

Police were contacted and officers recovered the fully-clothed body from the edge of the water near St Vincent Chase, off Marlborough Road.

The scene was cordoned off and an inquiry has been launched. But it is not thought the death was suspicious.

The body is thought to be that of a man in his early 40s, but it is not yet know how long he had been in the water.

Police have not yet formally identified the man, but it is thought he came from the Braintree area. A post mortem examination was due to be held late on Friday.

The spot is popular with dog-walkers and close to Great Bradfords County Junior and Infants School.

Acting inspector Chris Kilgallen, of Braintree police, said on Friday: "We are not treating it as suspicious at this stage. The body was retrieved from the edge of the water. We checked for signs of life but he was obviously dead.

"We checked for identification but we are not sure where he came from at this stage."

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