A FULL-SCALE search for a woman swimmer feared to have drowned off the Kent coast was finally called off today.

The woman has been named as 49-year-old Londoner Lita Connor who was staying at a holiday home at Sheppey Beach Villas at Leysdown, near Sheerness.

Swale Police have confirmed that Ms Connor may have drowned. They have spoken to her family and are appealing for anyone who was on the beach between 5pm and 8pm last night to come forward.

She is described as white, slim, with dark auburn, medium length hair. Anyone with information is asked to telephone police on 01795 477055.

The search for Ms Connor was launched off Leysdown at about 8.30pm last night after she vanished while swimming with a friend.

A Sea King rescue helicopter from RAF Wattisham in Suffolk joined the Whitstable Lifeboat and the Sheppey coastguard team scouring the coast from Sheppey down to Herne Bay.

Night vision goggles enabled them to continue the search into the night but it was finally abandoned shortly before 11pm.

The hunt resumed early this morning, with coastguards searching along the North Kent coast from Sheppey to Herne Bay in case the woman had been washed back ashore with the tides.

But a spokeswoman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said later that the search had finally been abandoned mid-morning.

She added: "We look at various things when we consider starting to scale things down. This includes the weather, sea temperature, the tides, and how well the area has been searched.

"One important aspect we would consider is the length of time someone could survive in the water."