POLICE confirmed yesterday that they have found the body of missing County Durham man John Fisher.

Mr Fisher disappeared more than a month ago after he and a friend jumped into the swollen River Wear at Durham City, when the two mistakenly believed they were being chased by a police helicopter.

His 21-year-old companion, who has not been named, managed to pull himself out on the other side, but Mr Fisher never appeared.

Police said the two had reason to escape police detection, but were not being pursued at the time.

Following the incident on February 12, police searched the river and its bank using sniffer dogs and divers, but without success.

On Saturday, police divers pulled the body out of the river about half a mile from the city centre when it was spotted by search and rescue teams scouring the river in canoes.

Mr Fisher, who lived with his mother and young brother at the Moorlands, in Gilesgate, Durham City, had jumped into the river near Barker's Hough sewage works.

A post-mortem examination was carried out at Durham's Dryburn Hospital yesterday, and an inquest is expected to open later this week.