Investigations were continuing today after the body of a man was pulled from the River Severn in Shrewsbury.

Police have not yet named the man, whose body was discovered in the river near Smithfield Road just before 2.30pm. Emergency services launched a search after Johanna Hora, of Ford, near Shrewsbury, reported that she had seen a man in the river just before midday.

She said he appeared to be in distress and said a dog was also in the water.

Ms Hora said she alerted a traffic warden who reported the incident to police.

She said she had been taking her two lurcher dogs Rocky and Acorn for a walk in Frankwell playing fields, after visiting a friend in the area, when she saw the man.

Ms Hora said: “We were playing ball games and were coming back towards the river when both of my dogs went to the river bank and stood transfixed looking at it and barking.

“I went to them and saw a man in the water on the opposite side of the river with a dog. He was shouting and I could see he was struggling and the water where he was appeared to be about waist height.

“He was trying to get out and his dog was trying to help him but he kept falling back into the water and shouting.”

Ms Hora said the man appeared to be in his 60s and had a rucksack or similar item under his arm in the water.

The ambulance service was called to the river at about 1.25pm.

Two ambulance crews and an incident support officer attended along with police and fire service.

Chris Kowalik, a spokesman for the service, said: “Ambulance crews were called to the river while fire crews, using their launch boat, searched the river.

“The body of a man was found and he was confirmed dead at the scene.”

Police spokeswoman Maria Hawkaluk said the death was being treated as unexplained.

She said: “The circumstances surrounding how the man came to be in the water will be investigated by the coroner.”