A man's body was found in the Ripon Canal on Saturday 13 September. Police say the death is not suspicious and enquiries to trace his next of kin continue.

The body of a man in his 60s has been found in the Ripon Canal. A member of the public discovered it on Saturday morning, 13 September, and reported it to the police. North Yorkshire Police say there is nothing at this stage to suggest the death is suspicious.

Officers were called to Boroughbridge Road in Ripon, about 11 miles north of Harrogate, at 8.41am. Emergency services attended immediately and found the man’s body in the water, and a scene was established while enquiries were carried out. That account comes from the force’s statement, published the same day.

A file will now be prepared for the coroner. That is the standard route for a death that is unexplained but not thought to be suspicious: the coroner’s investigation establishes who died, and how.

The search for his next of kin

The force has not named the man. Its statement says urgent enquiries are ongoing “to identify and locate the man’s next of kin, who we believe may not be in North Yorkshire”.

No update had appeared on the force’s news pages as of Tuesday morning, 16 September. The force’s reference for the incident is 12260179735.

Boroughbridge Road

Boroughbridge Road was closed for most of Saturday morning while emergency services and investigators worked at the scene. It has since reopened, and there is no ongoing closure.

The road runs beside the canal on its way out of the city towards the bypass. The Ripon Canal itself is a 2.3 mile waterway connecting the basin near the city centre to the River Ure at Oxclose Lock. The Canal & River Trust, which cares for it, describes it as known for its quiet, rural feel and wildlife; it was restored and fully reopened into the centre of Ripon in September 1996.

What it means for you

There is nothing here to worry canal users. The death is not being treated as suspicious, the force has made no witness appeal, and the road closure ended on Saturday.

The one way readers may be able to help is with the search for the man’s next of kin, who the force believes may not be local. Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference 12260179735.

Sources