A man has plunged to his death from the QEII Bridge.

Police search boats and helicopter crews were called just before 9pm last night after reports a person had been seen falling from the Dartford Crossing.

Coastguard and RNLI lifeboat teams also joined the search of the Thames, and discovered the body shortly after.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "Police were contacted shortly before 8.50pm on Thursday, January 5, with concerns for the safety of a man, who was reported to have been seen falling from the Queen Elizabeth II bridge on the A282.

"Officers, a police helicopter and the coastguard attended. Coastguards found a man but sadly he was pronounced deceased at the scene."

A Kent Police spokesman added: "Following an incident on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge on the evening of Thursday 5 January 2017, and the subsequent recovery of a man's body, Kent Police is making enquiries into the circumstances surrounding this matter.

"The man's next of kin have been informed. The man in his 40s is from Welling."