SHOCKED holidaymakers found a body in a harbour while crab-lining.

The gruesome discovery was made by a man and his daughter, on holiday from Cheshire, when their line became entangled with the man's remains.

The father dialled emergency services on his mobile phone just after 2pm at West Bay near Bridport.

Hundreds of people then crowded round to watch as police and coastguards sealed off the east and west piers to retrieve the corpse from the harbour.

West Bay harbourmaster Tony Preston used his launch to secure the body while officers from the marine police unit were summoned.

A police spokesman said there were no suspicious circumstances and the body was of a white male in his 30s with reddish-brown hair, wearing a dark or blue t-shirt, believed to have come from the Devon area.

Earlier it had been feared the body may be that of a missing fisherman from the Avon and Somerset area, believed to have fallen from his trawler while out fishing alone.

Last night the body was taken to the mortuary at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester where the coroner made efforts to identify him and notify next of kin.

An inquest was opened and adjourned.