A MAN'S body has washed up on a beach near to where an angler was feared swept out to sea last week.

Police confirmed that the body was recovered from the beach at Horden, County Durham, shortly after 4.30pm yesterday (SUN).

Officers were last night attempting to confirm the identity of the man.

Sergeant Andrew Herron, of the Durham force, said: "Police are investigating this incident and at this point there appear to be no suspicious circumstances."

The recovery of the body was reported by anglers taking part in Durham County Council's annual Open Sea Angling Competition.

Organiser George Slee, of the county council's sports development team, said the event control team received a call from the Coastguard reporting the discovery of the body during the afternoon.

The discovery of the body came five days after a man was reported missing having apparently gone fishing on the County Durham coast.

Keen angler George Derbyshire, of Blackhall, County Durham, has not been seen since telling his wife, Rose, he was going fishing, on Tuesday morning.

She reported her 61-year-old husband, a security officer for digger and excavation maker Komatsu, missing when he failed to return home that night, having promised to be back by 3pm that day.

It was thought he had been fishing locally at Blackhall or slightly further up the coast, near Horden.

Search and rescue teams and both the police and RAF helicopters scoured the Durham coastline without success.

The search was called off on Thursday, but the following day fishing gear was reported to have been found washed up on Blackhall Rocks.

Despite the improved weather, more than 350 anglers took part in yesterday's competition along the county's coastline, from Ryhope Dene to Crimdon Dene.

Mr Slee said shortage of suitable bait, such as lug-worm or rag-worm, at local angling stores was probably the cause of the fall in numbers, from last year's figure of 578.