A PASSER-BY discovered the body of a man in the River Foss in York only yards from where several people were enjoying the weekend sunshine.

The man's body was seen floating face-down in a shallow stretch of the river yesterday afternoon, downstream of the Huntington Road bridge, at the junction with Haley's Terrace and Somerset Road.

A large crowd of adults and children gathered on the bridge to watch the police operation.

The body was clearly visible, just below the surface of the water. The man was wearing light-coloured trousers, a dark T-shirt and dark shoes.

Police could not yet confirm the age of the man, who had cropped, light-coloured hair and a light-coloured beard.

It is not known how long the body had been in the water, or how the man died.

Officers who attended the scene removed a dark green padded jacket, a black rucksack, a green pouch of tobacco and a small silver tin from the riverside.

A path runs alongside the River Foss at this point, which is accessible from the bridge, and backs on to houses in Somerset Road.

John Speck, of The Fossway, a nearby pub, said: "I arrived and saw a 15-year-old talking to officers. I presume he was the one who rang the police."

The body was pulled out the river at around 2.45pm by an underwater search team, and taken to York Hospital for examination.

Sgt Colin Taylor said the underwater search team would be taking samples from the river.

Updated: 11:15 Monday, April 26, 2004