A police dive-team has been spotted in the waters of a marina basin this afternoon.

Divers from the Metropolitan Police were pictured in the River Medway by the Ship and Trades pub on St Mary's Island in Chatham.

Himadri Pal, who lives nearby, said the specialist team had been in the old ship docks for three hours today.

She said: “First they checked the water with a red apparatus and then one by one a few people went in diving for about 15 minutes each.

“They spanned the width of the dock.”

The nearby Ship and Trades fish bar told KentOnline the Met were using the area for training purposes.

Anthony Sutton, the Dockside centre manager, also said this was likely the case.

He said: “The Met Police have been to that part of Chatham Maritime Marina quite a lot over the past year.

“I believe it is because of the depth of the basin there.

“They’ve been there six to seven times over the last 12 months because the basin is 32 or 34 metres deep.

“It is a nice environment for the dive team to train in.”

A spokesperson for the Met Police said: “Officers from the Met’s underwater and confined space search team have been carrying out a training exercise in the area.”