Body found in river in Leeds city centre

The body was pulled from the River Aire near to the Royal Armouries Museum at Clarence Dock in Leeds.

Police divers, assisted by fire service personnel, recovered the body soon after it was spotted at around 10.10am.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said the body had been recovered from the river near to Skelton Grange Road.

Inquiries have started to try to establish the man’s identity and a post mortem examination will be carried out in a bid to establish the cause of his death.

The River Aire, which has been swollen by heavy rain recently, has claimed several lives in recent years. At least eight people are thought to have drowned in the Aire in the centre of Leeds in the past four years.

Matthew Wilcox, 19, a student, drowned in 2010 after he went missing following a night out. Two years earlier, student Gavin Terry died in the river after a night out.