A British woman who mysteriously vanished from her sunbed while on a holiday in Greece last month has been found dead, her distraught husband said. Michele Ann Joy Bourda, 59, vanished without a trace on August 1 while relaxing on Ofrynio Beach, near the Greek city of Kavala in northern Greece. Her husband, Chris Bourda, 66, had reportedly fallen asleep beside her on a sun lounger and awoke to find her gone, her belongings, including glasses and medication, still on the beach.

Mr Bourda launched a frantic search and alerted local authorities immediately, but claimed it took hours before any official help arrived. Now, over a month later, he has said that Greek police believe they have found her body on a small island called Fidonisi, around 25 miles from where she was last seen. Although formal identification is still pending, officers reportedly told Mr Bourda they are "99% certain" it is his wife.

Mr Bourda told the Daily Mail: "They have found her body. Sadly I was expecting this. The problem is the harbour police did not start their search until late at night and I don't know what effect that had.

"They said they couldn't find her, they claimed she had disappeared with an unknown man, but this was rubbish. I think the harbour police really didn't do anything and next time something happens like this they should think about it. It shouldn't take them three hours to write up a missing person's report before starting the search.

"They said there were no signs she had drowned, that there was no body, that she was following someone else. But I knew this was not the case. She would not have gone off without her money, her glasses or her medication."

Tragically, Mr Bourda told the Daily Mail that his wife's remains were found in a state of severe decomposition, missing the head and partially consumed by fish.

The couple, who lived in Glasgow and had been married for 36 years, had planned a relaxing six-week break in Greece. Mr Bourda said Michele appeared to be in good spirits on the day she went missing.

Mrs Bourda had a history of depression and anxiety. While her husband believes this may have contributed to her disappearance, he is not certain and maintains that more could and should have been done to find her sooner

Local authorities have not yet released a public statement, and the investigation into Michele's death remains ongoing.

The Express has contacted the Greek police for comment.