Detectives say the dead body of a man in High Wycombe is yet to be formally identified with investigations continuing as officers look to confirm a cause of death.

The man's body was discovered in water on The Rye, in High Wycombe, yesterday afternoon.

Police later confirmed that they were treating the death as unexplained, but not suspicious.

Speaking to the Bucks Free Press, a teenager who helped police recover the dead body of man at The Rye in High Wycombe described the horrific moment she made the discovery.

Eighteen-year-old Chantelle Meech, who works at the Boat House Café, near to where the body was found in The Dyke, raised the alarm after a man and young child saw what later turned out to be a body in the water while on a boat trip.

Miss Meech was the first to call for the help of the emergency services and rowed officers out onto The Dyke before the body was recovered and rested on the water’s edge by the footpath.

She said: “I hired a boat out to a man and his kid, they went out for five minutes. Then he came back and he said ‘there was something in the water that you need to be made aware of’.

Bucks Free Press:

Police conducting investigations at the scene - ARM Images.

“He took a photo, showed me the photo and obviously it was a dead body. I phoned the police.

“He [the man who found the body] tried to be as calm as possible. He had a young kid with him, only about two or three I suppose, and he didn’t want to upset him or put him into too much shock.

“It’s very shocking, I had to row the police up the river to help some of them get there.

“Another officer had already jumped in and pulled the man out.”

She added: “I’ve worked here for two years now and I’ve never experienced anything like this here, it’s horrible.

“I didn’t go right up. As soon as I could let the police out, I did.

Bucks Free Press:

Police forensic teams arrive at The Rye, in High Wycombe - ARM Images.

"He was face down in the water, I just saw the coat and the hair.

“I’ve been here since 8am this morning and I’m sure I would have heard some noise, I assumed he had been there since the night.”

A police cordon was set up along the edge of the park near The Dyke.

As well as the cafe and boating lake, the busy area of the park is just yards from the council-run adventure playground, busy this lunchtime with children playing during their half-term holidays. 

Police used boards in an attempt to obscure the body yesterday.

The body was taken away from the scene in the evening.

Investigations are ongoing, and the circumstances of the death are not yet clear.

The Rye, High Wycombe.

Parent Ashley Craven, from High Wycombe, who visited the park following the discovery, said: “I could see the body lying close to the water and to me it looked like a man - that has obviously been confirmed now.

“It’s usually a quiet area, but it can be very popular down here and it is awful to think about what has happened.”

Another parent described it as a “horrible” experience adding that it had been different to keep children away from the police cordon.

Lisa Largey said: “I was further over the other side and heard people saying that someone had been pulled out of the water. It wasn’t very nice, particularly with having so many children about.

“You just have to feel so sorry for the person’s family too.”