A body has been pulled from the River Itchen by police.

It came almost a week after three helicopters scoured the river for more than 12 hours in a search for a man reported missing.

The alarm was raised at 11.20pm last Sunday, October 6.

The body was found on Saturday morning near the Itchen Bridge, police confirmed.

READ MORE: Why was a helicopter circling above the Itchen Bridge?

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: "Just after 9.30am on Saturday, October 12 the body of a man was found in the water by the Itchen Bridge.

"Formal identification has yet to take place but the family of the missing man who was being searched for in and around the River Itchen since October 7, have been notified."

This imaged was captured of the Coastguard search last SundayThis imaged was captured of the Coastguard search last Sunday (Image: Jo Duke) Police confirmed to the Echo on Tuesday that the man remained missing and they continued to search for him, despite the helicopters returning to base.

The force did not release any personal information about his identity, or his last known location.

As well as search and rescue and police helicopters, RNLI lifeboats from Calshot and Cowes, the Hamble lifeboat, Coastguard rescue teams from Hill Head and Lymington and South Central Ambulance Service all attended the multi-agency search.

A spokesperson from the Cowes RNLI Lifeboat team said at the time: "The lifeboat responded to a pre-dawn emergency this (Monday) morning when it joined in an urgent  search for someone reported to have disappeared off Southampton’s Itchen Bridge.

"Having launched at 5.25am the lifeboat proceeded to relieve Calshot and Hamble lifeboats to painstakingly search the River Itchen from Southampton Water to Northam Bridge, and back again.

"Nothing was found."