CREW on Lyme Regis lifeboat were called out to recover a woman’s body off the coast of Chesil Beach.

A fisherman raised the alarm with the emergency services and the Spirit of Loch Fyne was tasked to the scene of the sighting off Fleet, near Abbotsbury, last Wednesday evening.

Police officers believe that the body had been in the sea for several weeks.

They said that a post-mortem has taken place but was unable to find a cause of death although there is no positive evidence of a suspicious death.

Now officers are investigating the case and have appealed for help in identifying the woman.

Detective Inspector Stewart Dipple, of Weymouth CID, said: “We are working hard to identify the woman and are investigating the circumstances of how she came to be in the water.

“I would ask anyone who recognises the description to contact police.

“Also, I urge anyone who may have seen her movements along the coast during the past two months as it is believed that the body has been in the sea for several weeks.

“I am particularly interested to talk to anyone who uses the coastal paths and may have discovered discarded woman’s clothing.”

The body is described as a middle to late middle aged woman, five feet four inches tall and of slim build – about size 10 to 12.

She had brown greying straight hair and her left ear was pierced twice.

The woman was partially clothed in blue leggings, black socks and black trainers with a distinct bright pink sole.

A spokesman for Lyme Regis lifeboat said that the lifeboat was called out to recover the woman’s body from Chesil Cove, east of Lyme.

Police have ruled out the body being that of a woman who went missing from a ferry bound for France.

They said they were confident that the body found was not that of missing Sarah Fenton, 39, who disappeared from a cross-channel ferry in April.

Mrs Fenton, from Bristol, was last seen by her husband on a Condor Ferries vessel heading from Guernsey to Poole.

It was feared that she may have gone overboard.

Witnesses and anyone with information can call the police on the 101 non emergency number quoting incident number 26:367.