Woman and dog found dead in frozen river

Police searching for a missing pensioner have found the bodies of a woman and a dog under ice in a river.

Ann Powles, 74, was last seen on Monday at a friend's house in Oxford after taking her dog out for a walk.

Today officers recovered a body from the River Cherwell, near the Sunnymead Recreation Ground to the north of the city.

The body matched Mrs Powles's description and was recovered by Thames Valley Police's specialist search and recovery team.

The body of a brown and black border terrier was also found in the river under ice.

A Thames Valley police spokesman said: "The identity of the body of the woman has not been confirmed at this stage."

Mrs Powles was last seen at the address of the friend in Water Eaton Road at about 6pm on Monday when she left to walk her dog.

She was reported missing by her family yesterday afternoon.