A man whose body was pulled from the River Severn is believed to be a member of Shrewsbury’s homeless community.

Staff at The Ark, a drop-in centre in Castle Foregate, today named the man as Jeremy Evans.

Police said a post-mortem was due to be carried out on the body and formal identification was not due to take place until next week.

Roy Edwards, 39, and Jane Cook, 54, from The Ark, today said they were with 42-year-old Mr Evans shortly before the drama unfolded in the river on Wednesday lunchtime in Smithfield Road.

Mr Edwards said his friend had fallen into the river earlier that day but they had managed to drag him to safety and gave him a change of clothes.

They said they had been left devastated after learning his body had been pulled from the river just a few hours later.

Staff and users of The Ark today spoke of their sadness at the death of Mr Evans, who is originally from the Bridgnorth area.

Bob Smith, team leader at the shelter, said: “He was liked by everybody and he was an intelligent lad. He was very spiritual and was a Pagan.

“He was like a library of knowledge and he always had a book in his hand.”

The Ark has issued a plea for information about the whereabouts of Mr Evans’s dog Hearne, a cross-border collie, who was described as his faithful companion and is believed to have been with him at the time of his death.

Anybody who has seen him can call (01743) 363305.