Police hunting for a kayaker who has gone missing off the coast of the south of England have found a body.
Dorset Police said a body, believed to be that of 60-year-old Alistair Collier, was found 22 nautical miles south of Tyneham on Sunday afternoon.
The coastguard found the body in the water alongside a kayak.
It was recovered from the water by HMS Tyne and transferred to Poole Hospital by coastguard helicopter.
Mr Collier had been taking part in a race off Studland in Dorset and was last seen at midday on Saturday near the pier at the beginning of the event.
Dorset Police said formal identification has not yet taken place, but Mr Collier’s family have been informed. The coroner has been notified.
Mr Collier, of Worcester, was seen wearing a red life jacket and was in a white canoe with a stabiliser, which had a blue stripe on top.
He was described as white, 5ft 2in and of medium build.
He had brown eyes, black greying hair and a goatee beard and spoke with a northern accent.
RNLI lifeboats from Swanage, Poole, Yarmouth, Mudeford, Bembridge and Weymouth, along with the coastguard were part of an “extensive search” which was carried out on Saturday, overnight and on Sunday.
Coastguard helicopters from Lee-on-Solent, St Athan and Newquay searched overnight and the coastguard fixed wing aircraft was brought in on Sunday morning as the search area widened.
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