POLICE are appealing for the public’s help to trace a dead man who was found in the River Avon in Evesham.

Officers were called to the Weir Meadow Caravan Park in Castle Street just after 10am yesterday (Wednesday) after a member of the public spotted a body in the river that had been caught up on a boat mooring.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service sent a boat crew to recover the man, which appears to have been in the water for some days.

But detectives have not yet been able to identity him as he had no ID or wallet on him and he does not fit any outstanding missing persons reports in counties upstream from Evesham.

The man was white and aged between 45 and 55 and when he was found, he was wearing a pair of well-used Caterpillar boots, a studded leather belt, a tweed-like Jasper Conran coat worn under a dark blue body warmer and a thick-knit jumper with a zipped collar.

He was also wearing a blue and red-checked shirt, dark blue jeans and in a pocket were a pair of metal-rimmed glasses in a hard, blue case from Boots.

Detective Sergeant Chris Percival, who is leading the search, said: “Usually in such tragic cases, we can quickly identify the person and inform their next of kin, so it is unfortunate that with this man we have so little to go on.

“It is more likely this man is from Worcestershire or Warwickshire, so I would like to appeal to anyone who thinks they recognise the description and the clothes he was wearing, to contact West Mercia Police straightway.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting reference number 151s 19/02/14.