THE body of a missing woman in her 80s was discovered by police in the Oxford Canal, Kidlington, yesterday morning.

The pensioner, who was from the area, was reported missing on Tuesday night but has so far not been named.

Officers searching for her found the body in the canal, off Yarnton Lane, near Kidlington Football Club, at about 8am.

Last night Thames Valley Police said her family had been informed but that formal identification had yet to take place.

Five police and three ambulance vehicles were on the scene near a bridge over the canal yesterday morning.

Residents in nearby Newport Close reacted to the news.

Gary Barrett, 56, said: “The first thing we heard was when the sirens went off. It is a bit of a shock.”

Shane Mullins, 37, said: “I only knew about it when I woke up this morning.

“The kids said there was a load of police outside. There was a lot of activity going on.”

Jacqueline Elston, 54, said: “About a quarter past eight I heard sirens and I thought it was something to do with the canal. I saw them go in with wet gear.”

Police spokeswoman Rhianne Pope said: “Officers found the body of an elderly woman in the canal near Yarnton Lane in Kidlington shortly before 8am. She was pronounced deceased at the scene.

“The body has not yet been formally identified and the death is currently being treated as unexplained.”