Police have recovered the body of a man from a mid-Essex river after it was spotted by a passing cyclist.

A member of the public on their bike saw the partially-submerged body in the River Blackwater in Braintree at about 7.15am today (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 is due to be held late today (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 this morning: "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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