A DECOMPOSED body found on the beach at Whitby has been identified as that of a missing walker.

Roger Butterwick, 59, of Hunter Street, Whitby, went missing from home in January.

Mr Butterwick, a former grocer who ran a delicatessen in Skinner Street, in the town, before becoming a bus driver, had been last seen in Whitby wearing walking boots and a green jacket.

His family had described him as an experienced walker.

Police said that a body found on the beach at Saltwick Bay by walkers, was thought to have been in the sea for a considerable time.

The North Yorkshire East Coroner, Michael Oakley, has been informed.