POLICE searching for missing university student Megan Roberts have found a body in the River Ouse.

The body was discovered about 100 metres upstream from the Ship Inn at Acaster Malbis, to the south of  York, on Sunday afternoon.

North Yorkshire Police said they received a call at 3.27pm from a member of the public who was walking in the area.

A spokeswoman said: “Formal identification has not yet been completed, therefore we cannot confirm the identity of the deceased at this stage.

“The family of Megan Roberts have been informed of the discovery.”

Megan, 20, a York St John university student who is from Wetherby and lived in the Clifton area of York, disappeared on Thursday January 23, at around 2am after a night out with friends in the Popworld venue in the city centre.

CCTV pictures showed her leaving the bar and soon afterwards she was seen near Lendal Bridge. Police have previously said the most probable scenario was that she "entered the river" while "heavily affected by alcohol".

In an earlier interivew Superintendent Phil Cain, describing Megan’s last known movements, stressed there was no evidence to indicate foul play. Instead, he said it was “on balance ... a group of young friends on a night out that is likely to have ended in tragedy”.

The Facebook page, Help Find Megan Roberts, set up in the search to find the student, has attracted 8,535 followers, with many friends and strangers posting messages of support to her family.

Last week her mother Jackie Roberts asked supporters to light a candle “and think of Megan finding her way home”.

She has also previously thanked the public and the police for their "support, kindness and care during this extremely difficult time".

A message posted on the Facebook site last Thursday said: “Megan is with us every second of the day in our thoughts and our hearts, we still have so much hope that Megan is OK and we will hear something soon. Thank you so much for the support, shares and likes.”

Divers from the regional police underwater search unit scoured the River Ouse last month.

A sightseer visiting a cruise boat on the Ouse at Acaster Malbis said on hearing news of the discovery of a body: “How very sad. We were wondering why there was all the police activity and we were worried they might have found a body.”