Gaynor Lord: Body found in River Wensum in Norwich in search for mother who went missing

• Martha Fairlie reports for ITV News on the day's developments

Police say they have no reason to suspect third-party involvement after finding a body in the search for Gaynor Lord, a mother-of-three who disappeared a week ago.

Ms Lord, 55, went missing after she finished work early at Jarrolds department store in Norwich on Friday, 8 December.

Her clothing and jewellery were found in Wensum Park by a member of the public that evening. Her mobile phone was later found nearby, and a major police operation was launched to trace her.

Norfolk Police said on Friday that a body had been found and recovered from the River Wensum and Ms Lord's family had been informed.

They said there was no evidence of third-party involvement, and that Ms Lord had not met anyone on the way to the park.

• Ch Supt Dave Buckley told reporters there was "no evidence" of third-party involvement in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord

In a statement to reporters after the discovery, Ch Supt Dave Buckley said: “We remain open-minded to the circumstances of Gaynor’s disappearance and we’ll continue to pursue all lines of inquiry to ascertain why she went missing.

“I’m keen to say this remains a missing person inquiry at this stage.

“I am also satisfied at the moment, based on the evidence that we have, that Gaynor did not meet anyone on the way to the park, and we now have a better understanding of her movements through the city centre.”

He added: “I would reiterate at this stage that there is no evidence of third party involvement. Nothing in our inquiries have changed this position.”

Flowers were laid at the gates to Wensum Park following the discovery.

One of them said: “Gaynor may you be at peace. God bless your family.”

Ms Lord, 55, disappeared after leaving work early in Norwich city centre at 2.45pm.

Her belongings were found in Wensum Park, about 1.5 miles from her workplace at Jarrolds department store, and her coat was discovered in the river that runs through the park.

At the scene - Raveena Ghattaura, ITV News Anglia

There was a much heavier police presence around Wensum Park in Norwich this morning - a sign that something in the investigation had changed.

Every entrance to the park was closed off, with many more officers on duty than earlier in the week.

And as news of the police's discovery emerged, the mood grew understandably sombre.

More underwater search vans have turned up, along with forensics teams, while more evidence tents have been set up.

The cordon has been extended, to allow officers to carry out the important work which may give Gaynor Lord's family the answers they need.

Officers previously said there was a “high probability” that 55-year-old Ms Lord went into the River Wensum in Norwich, where a search was being conducted by the specialist dive team.

At about midday, officers could be seen recovering a body from the river in a black bag.

Dive teams had earlier identified an area of the river around 100m downstream of the park, marking the area with an orange buoy.

An Environment Agency search boat was stationed there as a dive team truck arrived at the area just after 11am.

Police and underwater search teams had been searching for Ms Lord for days, using drones and scouring the River Wensum.

Norfolk Police had described the search as "painstaking and difficult" due to the conditions of the river.

A friend of Ms Lord said she was “upbeat and happy” and talking about Christmas just days before she disappeared.

Julie Butcher told the BBC her friend seemed “fine” when they met on Tuesday last week.

Ms Butcher told the broadcaster she spoke to her friend at 2.15pm on Friday last week but she had to cut the call short to speak to a client.

She said she received another call form Ms Lord at 4.15pm but it “sounded like a pocket call – I could hear movement in her pocket”.

What happened to Gaynor Lord?

Ms Lord, a married mother-of-three, left work at Jarrolds department store in Norwich city centre at 2.45pm on Friday, 8 December.

CCTV images show her walking rapidly towards the city's cathedral, then on towards Wensum Park north of Norwich.

She was then seen walking up St Augustine's Street in Norwich towards Wensum Park.

At 8.10pm that evening, a member of the public reported finding belongings in the park, which police trace to Ms Lord through ID found in her handbag.

After visiting her home, they establish that she did not return from work that evening and that the park was not on her normal route home.

Her clothes, mobile phone, glasses and jewellery are found in the park, and police later reveal that her coat was found in the water - leading police to announce that the most likely scenario is that she "entered the water".

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