Police hunting for a pensioner who went missing from his hospital bed three nights ago have found a man's body.

It was discovered in a flooded drainage culvert running across a field about a quarter-of-a-mile from Airedale General Hospital at Steeton last night.

The body was recovered by police frogmen who were called in to help in the search along with the West Yorkshire police force operation unit, police dogs and uniformed officers.

Keighley Police Inspector Bob Robinson said the body had yet to be identified.

He added: "The underwater search team recovered the body from a drainage culvert which was part of a drain running across a field.

"The body was difficult to find. It was not immediately visible because it was hidden by bushes and reeds in the drain."

He said they were not treating the death as suspicious at this stage and were awaiting the results of a post mortem examination.

"We are continuing our inquiries with a view to identifying the person and investigating the cause of death," he added.

Police have been searching for widower Allan Armstrong, 82, who was last seen by staff at Airedale General Hospital, Steeton at 8.20pm on Tuesday. He had been admitted on Saturday suffering a suspected stroke.

Mr Armstrong, of Silsden, who was very frail, had recovered from cancer only three years ago.

He was rushed to hospital after he collapsed into the arms of his niece, Elaine Brindle, of Sutton, when she visited him at his home on Saturday.

She saw him at Airedale hospital on Tuesday and left him at about 6.30pm in the rest room watching television. By 8pm that same night he had gone missing.

Hospital bosses launched a search of the building immediately they realised he was not in the room and then later called the police who searched the hospital grounds.

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