POLICE and lifeboat crews were called to Walney after a suicide note was found. 

A dog walker made the find yesterday morning at around 9.40am and called police. The Evening Mail understands the suicide note appeared to have been written by a man and referred to "saying goodbye" to his family and daughters. 

Officers began searching the area around Walney Channel before putting in a call to Liverpool Coastguard to request assistance. 

At 11.42am, a crew from Furness Coastguard joined the search while Barrow's lifeboat attended the scene at 1.10pm. 

In a statement published on its Facebook page, Furness Coastguard said: "The team mustered and set up an RV point at the Slag Bank, Barrow. The team then split up, with half searching North up-to Lowsy Point (Black Huts) and half the team South towards the Dock Museum. 

"Due to the tide being low and starting to flood the team were able to search quite far out into the channel along with the shoreline and Slag Bank slopes. With the RV point being at the top of the slag bank, a binocular watch was being held by the Furness Coastguard OIC, who monitored the incoming tide along with searching for the missing person. 

"Once teams had both reached their search area boundaries, they were re-deployed at North Scale, Walney and Walney Airfield. Barrow RNLI's ILB had also been tasked, now the tide was high enough, to search all gullies and moorings in Walney Channel. Walney Airfields Fire Service had given half the team a lift in their off-road Argo-Cats which sped up the deployment of the search teams from Walney Airfield."

In a statement, John Falvey from Barrow RNLI added: "At the time the tide was flooding with a high water of 8.3 metres expected at 3.23pm, but as the channels had not by then filled with sea water the search teams were unable to obtain a view into the gullies between the mudbanks.

"An added complication was that at the time the visibility in the area was down to no more than 200 yards, although the sea state was calm. 

"The Vision of Tamworth was crewed by John Walker, and Adam Cleasby under the command of 2nd Coxswain Jonny Long and carried out a protracted search under the direction of the Coastguards."

Despite an extensive search, police called it off after a number of hours when nothing was found.