A major rescue operation involving the Coastguard rescue helicopter  Rescue 163,  The RNLI Littlestone lifeboat and the Border force RIB Athena has been launched after the RIB Athena spotted the female unconscious face down in the water just after midday on Thursday afternoon.

Staff onboard the Border Force rib had been making a number of attempts to recover the unnamed female.

The Rescue helicopter 163 Paramedics onboard now has been airlifted the casualty to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

It was first thought that the person may have been a migrant this is now not the case and all search resources have been stood down

A spokesman for Kent Police said: 

Kent Police was called to at 12.07pm on Thursday 24 March to a report of a body being seen in the water off the coast of Folkestone.

Officers attended along with RNLI, Coastguard and Border Force and a woman was pronounced deceased at the scene. Formal identification has not yet taken place, however the family of a 63-year-old woman who was reported missing on Wednesday 23 March have been informed.

The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be prepared for the coroner.