Police searching for missing 29-year-old Andrew Vane from Ipswich have confirmed the body of a man has been discovered in Chelmondiston this morning.

Officers were called at around 10.40am today, Sunday, February 4, to reports that a body had been found close to the riverbank near the village.

A police cordon is currently in place as officers investigate the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.

A police spokesman said the death is not being treated as suspicious at this time.

The man has yet to be formally identified, but police say it is believed to be missing man Andrew Vane, who was reported missing to police in the early hours of this morning.

A spokesman said a file was being prepared for the coroner.

A barmaid at the Butt and Oyster said she saw a police van outside her work when she arrived this morning at around 10.30am.

“I didn’t know what it was about and I didn’t see anything else. But it’s very unusual for round here so I did think it was strange.”

A woman, who was walking her dog in Pin Mill, near Clamp House, where it is thought Andrew’s body was found said: “I walk around this way a lot so I know my way round. This morning when I got here, I saw a police car and as I moved out of his way, he told me there were a few more behind him.

“At first, I thought maybe someone had been broken into or something but then I saw that there were about four police cars coming behind him so I thought it was maybe something serious.

“It’s very sad and shocking to hear. You never hear of anything like that around here. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a police car here before. Very sad.”

A Chelmondiston resident who was out walking in Pin Mill today, but did not want to be named, added: “It’s really tragic. Always very shocking when something like this happens and you don’t expect it somewhere near where you live. All of us here will be thinking of him and his family today.”