POLICE investigating the discovery of a body have contacted the family of missing New Forest woman Rebecca Allan.

A woman's body was pulled from waters in the Calshot area close to the entrance of Southampton Water at 1pm on Monday.

Formal identification of the woman has yet to take place.

But officers from Hampshire Constabulary have been in touch with the family of Ms Allan who disappeared after attending a festival over the weekend.

The 40-year-old from Lymington was visiting the island with her partner and a friend for the festival.

Concerns have been growing because she has not been in contact with her friends or family, which was described as being very out of character.

Solent Coastguards were alerted of the body at 1pm after crews from the passing 42-foot yacht Alchemy spotted it in the water.

The yacht stood by until crews from Cowes RNLI launched their lifeboat and arrived at the scene.

Lifeboat teams assisted Hampshire Constabulary's boat Preventer in recovering the body from the water before landing in Empress Dock, Southampton.

The lifeboat returned to the station at 2pm on Monday.