Dive teams join search for woman feared to have entered River Soar
Rescue teams are on the scene as the search enters its second day
Leicestershire Police have given an update in the search for a woman who it is feared may have entered the River Soar.
Police divers have been deployed to the river after the woman was last seen just before 12.41am on Thursday morning, with witnesses saying they saw her climbing over the gantry of the Gimson Bridge, Upperton Road.
The woman ran off and was last sighted at the Swan Bridge, where there are concerns she entered the water.
Officers from Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service and East Midlands Ambulance Service all attended the scene, with a search and rescue operation continuing on and around the water today.
Leicestershire Search and Rescue had boats on the river yesterday, and there are police dive teams in the water today.
Tactical Support Team officers are carrying out bank walks to look for evidence of someone exiting the water.
Police say they would like to speak to anyone with information about the woman’s movements or her whereabouts.
The woman is described as white, with dark hair in a ponytail, aged between 30 and 40 years old.
She was wearing a black hooded puffer jacket, dark blue ripped jeans and had piercing to either her upper lip or her nose. She spoke in broken English, in what is thought to be a Polish accent.
Chief Inspector Steve Palmer, coordinating the operation, said: “We’d like to speak to anyone who recognises the description of the woman. We are keen to identify who this woman is and to understand her movements prior to her being seen at the bridge.
“If you are the woman described, please contact us – we want to ensure your safety.
"We'd also like anyone with dash cam footage who was in the area to come forward. Were you driving on Upperton Road in the early hours of Thursday? Please, contact us."