A man's body was found in a car submerged in the River Thames at a beauty spot yesterday.

A walker on the towpath saw the car - a silver Vauxhall Corsa - in the river near the Cholsey Marsh nature reserve, in south Oxfordshire, just after 10am and alerted emergency services.

Police then found the body of the man - who is believed to be a 33-year-old - in the car.

Officers are continuing to investigate the man's death but have said they do not suspect foul play.

However, they are hoping someone may have seen the vehicle being driven around Cholsey.

A post mortem examination was due to be carried out shortly to determine the cause of death.

Police sealed off Ferry Lane, also known as Papist Way, which leads to the riverside nature reserve while frogmen searched the water around the vehicle.

Police would say nothing other than that a body and a car had been found in the river.

There was no identification and no indication about how long it might have been there. It is understood the man was naked.

Fire and rescue services as well as the police forensic vehicles were on the scene and a police helicopter hovered over the river.

Walkers along the Ridgeway and Thames paths were diverted away from the area while investigations continued.

It is close to the grounds of the former Fair Mile psychiatric hospital.

Martin Evans, from Reading Road, Cholsey, said: "This is a very popular area for people with dogs.

"My partner Catherine Rees walked one of our dogs down the lane at 8.30am and saw nothing untoward.

"It is always a shock when something like this happens in an area you know well."

Andy Moyser, steward at the Fair Mile Sports and Social Club, the last building in the lane before the river, said: "I left here just before midnight and had no inkling that anything might be wrong.

"It was all very quiet.

"Bodies being fished out of the river there was quite a regular occurrence when the hospital was in use but it has been quiet on that front for a long time.

"It is always shocking and upsetting when things like this happen."

Jean Stewartby, from Goring, who was walking with her husband John, said: "It is a tragedy when things like this happen in lovely places."