Police searching for a missing man in Marsden have found a body.

They were called to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal near Tunnel End this afternoon after a man walking by the waterway spotted something in the water.

Underwater search teams who had earlier been searching the canal and Sparth reservoir in Marsden went to the scene.

The police divers had been called in to help the hunt for Jason Webb, who went missing on Saturday afternoon .

Mr Webb, a married, 40-year-old, was last seen walking along the Marsden canal towpath at 3pm on Saturday.

Jason Webb of Marsden
Jason Webb of Marsden

He was due to watch the England Rugby League side play New Zealand at a pub but never arrived.

Police confirmed they had been given the identification of the man found in the canal and were in the process of contacting relatives.

A spokesman said: “We have been in touch with the appropriate people to keep them informed”.

Earlier, the specialist underwater search team had dived repeatedly into Sparth Reservoir, near Marsden, in a bid to find the missing man.

Weather conditions were very poor for the search teams.

When Mr Webb went missing police were joined in the search by volunteers from the Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team who scoured the canalside, river banks and surrounding areas between Marsden and Slaithwaite.

Just hours before the body was found, Acting Det Chief Insp Jim Griffiths said: “We are focusing our search in a large area around the Marsden locality of Huddersfield.

“As with all enquiries such as this, we keep an open mind but have a search strategy to plan for all eventualities”.

Police divers search for missing man Jason Webb at Sparth reservoir, Marsden.

He said that as well as the underwater search team an investigation team of up to 10 officers had been working on the inquiry.

He added that the recent bad weather had made it difficult to search both on land and water. Saturday afternoon when Mr Webb went missing was particularly bad he said.

Mr Griffiths added: “Our search had concentrated on the area where he spent much of his time.”