Body found in search for missing Thames swimmer

Search teams were out on the river on Sunday evening and Monday

A body has been found in the search for a man who went missing while swimming in the River Thames in south-west London, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Emergency services were called at 18:41 BST on Sunday to reports that the man had got into difficulty while swimming in the river off Barge Walk, Kingston upon Thames.

Multiple agencies, including the Met's Marine Policing officers, searched for the man and recovered a body at about 12:20 on Monday along the same riverside path.

Formal identification is yet to take place, however officers believe this is the man who entered the water on Sunday, a Met Police spokesperson said.

Sunday was the hottest day of the year so far in the UK with 27.5C recorded in Chertsey, Surrey.

Police divers were sent to the scene

Jadine Brunsdon, who works at a bar near where the man went into the water, told BBC News she saw the emergency response.

"I finished work at 6pm and I was sat with my friend on the river side and we were watching people swimming in the river," she said.

"We noticed them going in. Then about half an hour later we saw police cars and ambulances driving down."

Search teams were seen in boats along the stretch of the river where the man went missing.