A search is resuming this morning after a man’s cries were heard coming from the River Medway.

The emergency services, including the Medway Coastguard, started searching the river yesterday evening (Sunday) near Upnor after someone working at The Pier pub, in Lower Upnor, Rochester, heard someone shouting for help, which was thought to have come from the water.

The search started at about 6pm and involved an RAF helicopter which had flown in from Wattisham, in Suffolk, a police helicopter, four police officers on shore, 10 members of Medway Coastguard and an RNLI Sheerness Inshore Lifeboat with three crew members.

Crews searched the river for more than three hours on Sunday evening, but didn’t find anyone in the water.

Richard Rodgers, deputy station officer at Medway Coastguard, said: "We were called at about 6pm on Sunday to reports of a male voice shouting from the River Medway.

"The operation was a very good example of agencies working in partnership and worked together admirably but we have, so far, been unsuccessful in our search.

"We take all calls seriously which is why we had so many resources out tonight.

"The Kent and Essex helicopter was up for about an hour and the Sea King was with us for about two.

"Both had their FLIR (forward looking infrared) cameras on searching the area and, if someone had been found, the Sea King has a winch mechanism that would have allowed them to transfer any casualties to hospital quickly."

The coastguard team and police officers went out again this morning at about 7am to continue their search of the area but called off the search after two hours.