A pile of clothes and a suicide note were found by a lock keeper at a popular beauty spot on the River Thames.

Roger Steere made the discovery as he made a routine inspection of a weir between Abingdon Lock and Abbey Meadow at 10.15am on Saturday.

Roger Steere by the spot Police sealed off the area and sent up the force helicopter, scoured the riverbanks and brought in frogmen to complete a full search but did not find anything.

The water is extremely shallow but fast flowing near where the clothes were found and it is possible that someone who had jumped in at that spot could have floated about a mile downstream.

They said that no-one had been reported missing or had turned up in hospital suffering from exposure. A police spokesman confirmed that it was being treated as a possible suicide.

Mr Steere said: "I was going to make an adjustment to the weir when I found a pile of clothes with what appeared to be a suicide note on it."

He said the water was very shallow close to the point where he found the clothing.

"If you or I jumped in here you would break your ankles. It's just a few feet deep," he added.

Mr Steere said the note was addressed to a group of children and was 'apologetic'.

He added: "It is alarming, I just hope they do not find anything."

Environment Agency officers were also called to the scene to assist police with the search.

EA officer Adrian Swift said they had taken the police out on a boat in the morning to search the banks of the river.

The area, popular with families, was reopened to the public in the afternoon.