BREAKING: Body found in search for missing firefighter Daniel Lee

A body has been found in the search for a senior firefighter who went missing after a night out with his work colleagues in Manchester city centre, police have sadly confirmed.

The body was found in the river Irwell, a spokesman for GMP said.

A formal identification process has not yet taken place, but Greater Manchester Police confirmed today the body was found in the search for Daniel Lee, 41, from Salford. Next-of-kin have been informed.

Mr Lee, a watch manager with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service who was based with greenwatch at Agecroft fire station in Salford, went missing in the early hours of Monday. He was last seen walking past Saint Mary's Parsonage, near Bridge Street, just after 1am.

Police have confirmed emergency services were called to a section of the River Irwell near Woden Street in Salford earlier today. Images from the scene show emergency services vehicles parked up near Woden's Footbridge over the Irwell, linking Woden Street to Hulme Hall Avenue.

Mr Lee - who has two children and two step-children - had been on a night out with colleagues from GMFRS on Sunday evening before he went missing.

Urgent searches to find him were launched as a result, with specialist underwater teams and Greater Manchester Police Tactical Aid Unit officers searching stretches of the River Irwell near to The Lowry Hotel.

On Wednesday, his family issued a heartfelt plea to find him, revealing it was his daughter's sixth birthday. They said he had been in Mojos bar and was last seen on CCTV near Parsonage Gardens, with his phone last tracked to near the hotel.

Read more of today's top stories here

READ NEXT: