Police are still working to establish the identity of a man found dead in the River Medway.

Emergency services were seen pulling a body from the water using a cradle near the Staples car park at Sun Pier in Chatham at about 9pm on Wednesday night.

Officers have so far been unable to establish the cause of death, which is still being treated as "unexplained" after a murder suspect was released without charge.

Police, Kent Fire and Rescue and the Coastguard were on the scene. They were later joined by detectives from the serious crime unit and forensic officers. The area was taped off until the early hours of the morning.

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A man was arrested on suspicion of murder, but has since been released without charge.

A spokeswoman for Kent Police said: "Kent Police is continuing to investigate following the discovery of a man’s body in the water near Sun Pier, Chatham, shortly before 8.15pm on Wednesday 3 August 2016.

VIDEO: The death is being treated as unexplained.

"The cause of death is currently unexplained and a man arrested in connection with the discovery has been released without charge.

"Enquiries are ongoing to establish the identity of the man who has died."

A member of the public called 999 after seeing the body in the mud below the pier. The emergency teams took around 45 minutes to recover the body but remained on the scene for a further six hours gathering evidence.

One man who was at the scene when the body was pulled out of the river said: "I was working and I saw all the police and firefighters so I stopped to see what was going on.

"I was there just as they were pulling the body up in a cradle.

"The tide had gone out so the rescue teams were down in the mud. It was just at the footings of the pier. Once the body was out they put a small screen up on the pier itself.

"There were a few other people stood where I was, I think people were assuming someone had jumped in the river. So it was a shock to find out today someone had been arrested on suspicion of murder."

A spokesman for the Coastguard said they remained on the scene to assist police until around 2.45am.