Southsea body on the beach: Police not ruling out foul play as force launch appeal to identify man mysteriously washed up from sea

Officers and other emergency crews including the Coastguard swarmed to the seafront in Eastern Parade on Tuesday morning before a section of the beach where the body was found was swiftly shut down.

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The force confirmed to The News a dead body had been found before later revealing it was a male who was found deceased.

A section of the beach, near the Coffee Cup cafe, was searched with officers seen combing the area for clues. Coastguard personnel were also seen walking along the beach, beyond the taped off area and towards South Parade Pier.

A day on from the grim discovery, Hampshire police is continuing its enquiries and keeping an open mind on events – with the force not ruling out the death as being suspicious when approached by The News.

Officers remained at the scene throughout the day carrying out enquiries.

Police have now appealed to the public to help identify the man. He is described as white, aged 20 to 30, around 6ft and bald. He was wearing a maroon coloured Barbour puffa jacket, grey Moschino Milano jogging bottoms and black Nike running style trainers.

Detective Sergeant Samantha Hockley said: “We have been carrying out enquiries to try and establish the identity of this person. However, at this stage we’ve not been able to find out who he is.

“We believe he was in the water for a short amount of time before being brought in by the tide. Therefore, he may not have been missing for long and his family and friends may not have realised yet.

“We are working hard to determine who this person is and the exact circumstances surrounding his death.

“If a friend or family member, who matches this description, is missing, then we want to hear from you as we continue our investigation.

“You can contact us online or by calling 101, quoting the reference 44230444730."

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesperson had said previously on Tuesday: “We were called at 6.39am to a report that a body had been located on the beach on Eastern Parade in Portsmouth. Officers have attended the scene and remain there at the current time.”