A body was recovered from the River Orwell near the Strand in Wherstead this morning.

Five fire crews plus the police and the coastguard helicopter were called to the Strand at 6am today to rescue someone from the water.

The RNLI Harwich Lifeboat and coastguard teams from Felixstowe and Holbrook were also in attendance.

Police have since confirmed that a body was recovered at around 7.45am this morning and the death is not being treated as suspicious.

A spokesman for Suffolk Fire and Rescue said on Sunday afternoon: "The fire service and other blue light services were called to the Strand this morning and conducted a water rescue."

Firefighters from Ipswich East, Woodbridge, and Princes Street attended.

In June the body of a 22-year-old man was found in the River Orwell. It was the second tragedy within a matter of weeks, with the body of 17-year-old Aayush Desai, from Ipswich, found in the River Orwell in May.

In the wake of the double tragedy, Suffolk MP Dr Dan Poulter called upon Highways England to install so-called suicide bars on the Orwell Bridge after a "number of worrying incidents".

Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP, Dr Poulter, who also co-chairs the Ipswich Transport Taskforce, was seeking to raise the issue within the group to establish what more could be done in respect of safety and improvements to the bridge.

Since March 2021, Highways England has worked to replace the Samaritans signs on the approach to the bridge, installed four new phones and closed the lay-bys either side of the bridge.

If you need help and support, call Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust’s First Response helpline 0808 196 3494 or the Samaritans on 116 123. Both services are available 24 hours 7 days a week. You can also download the Stay Alive app on Apple & Android.