by Martin Jefferies

A man whose body was pulled from the sea at Ramsgate Harbour on Friday has been identified.

The body of John Parker, of Tedder Road in Lowestoft, Suffolk, was spotted floating in the water by port workers.

The 54-year-old is believed to have been working as a contractor on the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, although he was not on duty at the time.

The results of a post mortem examination carried out at the QEQM hospital, Margate, on Tuesday have not yet been revealed.

An inquest into Mr Parker's death was opened in Margate on Wednesday.

Kent Police were called at around 9am when port workers spotted his body floating in the water. Officers remained at the scene for several hours.

Mark Thompson, 30, a marine engineer at the harbour, said: "We're a very small community here; everyone knows one another and news of the death travelled very quickly. Everyone is in a state of shock."

Kent Police, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and the Port of Ramsgate continue to investigate the incident. A police spokesman confirmed the death was being treated as "“unexplained".