Police and ambulance crews responded to reports of a body on a beach in the Moor Road area of Kilkeel shortly before 6:30am on Thursday.

A cordon was established at the site.

Officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland attended the scene along with ambulance crews.

A PSNI spokesperson stated that police were present following the discovery of a body and asked the public to avoid the area.

DUP South Down MLA Diane Forsythe expressed sadness at the news and urged people to stay away to respect privacy and ongoing police work.

The incident occurred in County Down.