Police are nearer to identifying a body found in a river near King's Lynn

An investigation was launched on Saturday afternoon after the man's body was seen by a passer-by near Boal Quay.

Firefighters had to be called in to help recover the body from the fast-flowing tidal river. They donned waders and used a raft to bring the man's remains ashore.

Officers have checked Norfolk police's missing person files and asked other forces to go through their records. A spokesman said they were hopeful that they would soon be able to confirm the identity of the man.

As yet, they are unsure of where the decomposed body could have entered the river.

The Great Ouse between King's Lynn and Earith, Cambs, can flow strongly towards the sea or inland depending on the state of the tide. That means the man could have gone into the river some distance from Lynn and been carried by the river's currents.