THE body of an elderly woman has been found in the River Beult at Chainhurst, near Marden. Police say the woman may have slipped into the water from the riverbank near Hunton Road and drowned.

They are not treating her death as suspicious. The pensioner has not yet been formerly identified but it is believed she may have been a woman in her 70s from Paddock Wood.

Police said they were fairly certain they knew her identity but were having difficulty in tracing her relatives.

The body was discovered at about 5.30pm on Tuesday by two local boys. It was recovered by the Kent Fire Brigade. Police believe it may have been in the water for up to two days.