POLICE left the River Foss in York last night after working to recover a body from the water.

North Yorkshire Police said a member of the public contacted police at 4.30pm yesterday to report a sighting of a body in the water near Fishergate.

A force spokesperson said police, fire and rescue services and the Yorkshire and Humberside Underwater Search Unit had been working together to recover the body from the water, adding: "Inquiries are ongoing to establish the person’s identity."

A large number of emergency service vehicles were at the

scene in the late afternoon, with half a dozen police vans parked up in Fishergate and on Castle Mills Bridge alone.

The pavement over the bridge was barred to pedestrians, and a fire engine and ambulance were both also in attendance.

A fire service rescue boat was in the water in the Foss Basin, just upstream of the Foss Flood Barrier and Pumping Station and downstream of the bridge.

All emergency service had left the area by the mid-evening.