POLICE have identified the woman whose body was found on Inverkip beach and contacted her next-of-kin.

The body, discovered at 9.45am last Monday by a member of the public near Cromarty Grove at Inverkip Marina, is believed to be that of a female of Portuguese descent who had been living in England.

It is not known how she came to be in Inverclyde.

Greenock CID say that enquiries are still ongoing to establish the exact cause of death.

A post-mortem has been carried out and the results are awaited, but the death is not being treated as suspicious.

Mystery had surrounded the woman's identity after her body was found and a police appeal was circulated to try and trace her relatives.

The woman was described as being white, between 30 to 50-years-old, around 5ft 5ins tall and of slim build with shoulder-length blonde hair.

She was wearing a blue Barbour Pentile gilet jacket, with a blue denim jacket and grey hoodie underneath, blue jeans, black fingerless gloves and black trainers with a pink stripe.

She was also wearing a navy blue beanie hat, with a dark skip hat underneath.

The female was found with a medium-sized brown August Pfüller teddy bear, which was dressed in a grey t-shirt with the words 'My Buddy' and a pink purse, with the initial 'A'.

Police have thanked members of the public who responded to their appeals for information.