A police investigation is under way after the body of a elderly woman was found in the Oxford Canal at Banbury.

The woman, believed to be in her seventies, was spotted by people on a passing boat, who raised the alarm at about 1.30pm yesterday.

Police, who are keeping an open mind as to the cause of her death, launched a search of the Bankside area of the town.

The police helicopter searched the canalside area while an underwater rescue team recovered the body.

The towpath and surrounding land was cordoned off, and the canal was closed to boat traffic for three hours.

Det Sgt Steve Convey, of North Oxfordshire CID, said: "At this stage we don't know the identity of the lady or the cause of death.

"Her death does not seem to be suspicious."