A PUB landlady has paid tribute to a chef who is believed to have died in the River Wharfe at Tadcaster.


Police and firefighters descended on Tadcaster this morning after a member of the public called to say they had discovered some personal items near the river, just upstream of the flood-damaged road bridge.


Officers worked with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue to recover a man’s body and also carried out a thorough search of the river banks near the town's Sainsbury supermarket.


A force spokesman said the family of the man, who was believed to be local and in his 30s, had been informed and specially-trained officers were providing support.


He said the man's identity would not be released until a formal identification had taken place, but he was named locally as John Kevin Appleyard, who worked as a chef at Ye Old Sun Inn at Colton, between Tadcaster and York.


The pub posted a notice on its Facebook page that 'due to unforeseen circumstances and as a mark of respect,' it would be closing yesterday at 4pm, and apologising to customers it had let down.


Landlady Kelly McCarthy said everyone at the pub was devastated by the news. She said John had worked as a chef at the pub since last autumn and staff had seen him on Saturday evening.


"He was an absolutely fantastic chef, who was part of the team and who had a great future ahead of him," she said.


A series of tributes was posted on the pub's Facebook page, including: "He will be missed, really enjoyed working with him, a brilliant lad! RIP."