A PENSIONER'S body was discovered face-down in a canal following an extensive search operation by a team of divers and plain clothes police.
The body of 72-year-old Hazel Rogers, who is believed to have resided at several addresses in Runcorn - including one at Beechwood - was recovered from the water at about 2.15pm on Saturday.
Officers combed the area near the Halton Road side of the Bridgewater Canal for nearly four hours, after the body was spotted by a member of the public.
Inspector John Martin, of Runcorn police, said the death was not suspicious. 'It seems as though she frequented a number of addresses from the reports that have been drawn up by officers, not just Beechwood,' he said.
'There were a lot of officers at the scene at the weekend, including CID and uniformed police, as they had to rule out any crime being committed.
'Our underwater search team recovered the body.'
A post-mortem examination has been carried out and an inquest was due to be opened yesterday.
