A body found in a pond in Dereham has not yet been formally identified.

Police have said the body is believed to be that of Gordon Lloyd, who had been missing for more than a month.

A spokesman for Norfolk police said on Monday that formal identification is due to take place at the end of this week or early next week.

Officers, assisted by the Fire and Rescue Service, conducted a search of a pond in Northall Green, a popular area for dog walking, off Cemetery Road, at around 5.30pm last Wednesday and the body of a man was recovered.

Investigations continue, but the death is not currently being treated as suspicious.

Norfolk police have confirmed the man is believed to be 69-year-old Mr Lloyd, from Dereham, who was last seen in the morning of Wednesday, March 1.

Inspector John Papworth, from Breckland Police, said: 'We received a call from a member of the public and we believe the body to be that of Gordon Lloyd, but formal identification has not yet taken place.

'We do not know, at this stage, how long the body had been in the pond.

'There are currently no suspicious circumstances.

'The next stage is to get formal identification from the coroner's office and then we will look to ascertain the cause of death.'

Mr Lloyd left his home in Wollaston Avenue, near Dereham Hospital, not far from where the body was found, on the morning of Wednesday, March 1.

A possible sighting of Mr Lloyd in the Gallowtree Gate area of Leicester was reported about three weeks after his disappearance.

A CCTV image showed a man fitting Mr Lloyd's description entering the Tourist Information Centre.

His family said he had been in an agitated state and his health had deteriorated in the past year.