A WOMAN whose body was recovered from the River Ouse near York has now been identified by police.

She was named as Pauline Armitage, a 68-year-old who had been reported missing from her home in Doncaster on April 7.

The circumstances surrounding her death are now being investigated - but are not regarded as suspicious at the moment.

The grim find on Friday morning had originally led to fears that it was missing university chef Claudia Lawrence, 35, who mysteriously disappeared without trace just over a month ago.

However, within hours of the body being recovered police confirmed it was not Miss Lawrence and that the search for her was continuing.

Martin Dales, a close friend of Claudia's father Peter said Mr Lawrence had initially been contacted by police to be told that a body had been found, and had then gone through a traumatic four hours not knowing whether it was his daughter.

"Peter described it as 'four hours of hell'. Then he was called to be told it was not her and the blood came back into his face," said Mr Dales.

"But then our thoughts turned to the fact there is another person missing from someone's family, who have been going through a similar time, but whose body has now been found.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of that person."

Police were also quickly able to dismiss fears that the body was that of another missing York woman, Lisette Dugmore.

The 36-year-old, of Peter Hill Drive in the Clifton area of the city, has been missing since July last year and only last month police searched a six-mile stretch of the Ouse between Clifton and Naburn in the hunt for her.