THE body of an elderly man has been recovered from the River Wear.
Emergency services were called to the river at Low Willington, in County Durham, around lunchtime today (Friday, September 26).
The man’s body was located and recovered from the water but he was already dead.
It is understood he had only been in the water a short while.
A spokesperson for Durham Police said: “At lunchtime today police were alerted to the body of a man seen floating in the River Wear at Low Willington, approximately 500m downstream of the bridge by Cobeys Carr Lane and Long Lane.
“Paramedics also attended and they pulled the body from the water and confirmed he was deceased.
“The man is believed to be local to the area and in his sixties.
“His next of kin has been contacted and there are no suspicious circumstances.”
The area where the body was discovered is popular with walkers and there is a recreation area nearby.
As there is no criminal investigation police will prepare a file and refer the matter to County Durham and Darlington Coroner Service.
The river has been the scene of a number of tragic deaths in recent years.
Just this month the body of Robert Porter, 78, was discovered in the river at Durham City a day after he went missing from his Spennymoor care home.
And Sunderland teenager Jordan Roberts died after getting into trouble in the river near Finchale Abbey, in County Durham.
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