Two bodies have been pulled from rough seas as the UK is battered by Storm Dennis.

The body of a man missing from a tanker ship anchored off Margate, Kent was found after a seven-hour search, and another was found at Herne Bay.

Lifeboats and the coastguard helicopter had been scouring the sea near Margate Harbour after reports of a man overboard, HM Coastguard said.

HMS Westminster was also believed to have responded to a relay call, and has been in the area, according to ship-tracking data.

A distress call was received by the coastguard at 5.41am and an extensive search of the area began, with emergency services battling rough seas and challenging conditions.

A body was later pulled from the water.

A coastguard spokesman said: “At around 1pm, after many hours of searching, a body was sadly found in the water by the RNLI Margate lifeboat and has been brought to shore.”

An emergency search was launched after LPG tanker B Gas Margrethe reported that one of its crew was unaccounted for.

He had been last seen several hours previously, and following a search of the ship it was assumed he was missing overboard.

The 99-metre Maltese-flagged ship had been anchored off the coast of Margate.

Police are trying to establish the man’s identity so that next of kin can be informed, a spokesman said.

In a separate incident, Kent Police were called at 12.15pm on Saturday to a report a person had been pulled from the sea in Herne Bay.

Officers attended with fire and ambulance services and a man was declared dead at the scene.

Next of kin are aware and the death is not being treated as suspicious, police said.