A LARGE-SCALE search operation has ended after the body believed to be that of a 49-year-old man from the Stockton area was found at the foot of cliffs at Saltburn this morning (Sunday, January 31).

Cleveland Police, the Coastguard, Redcar RNLI and Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team were all dispatched to the area of the Saltburn Cliffs at 4.45pm on Saturday and helicopters and the lifeboats also searched area.

The operation was due to start again at 8.30am today but a body, believed to be that of the man, was spotted by a cliff top walker who alerted the authorities.

The body was recovered by lifeboatmen. A spokesman for Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team said that the man's car had been left at Valley Gardens car park.