A body has been found in the hunt for a man seen struggling in the River Avon this morning.
A major search and rescue operation was launched over a large part of Bath after the man was spotted in the river in the early hours.
Late this morning, specialist police divers began a painstaking search of the River Avon in the latest stage of an eight-hour operation to find the man.
A body was found in the water near the Sainsbury's store at Green Park just before midday and a team of divers have now removed it from the river.
It is understood that police know who the man was, but have not yet been in contact with his family so no formal identification has taken place.
The footbridge from Homebase to Sainsbury's was closed while police recovered the body.
Earlier today, Inspector Steve Mildren said: "We were called early this morning, and we did everything we could to find the man.
"Locating him was our top priority.
"Sadly a body has been found, and we are in the process of removing it."
The alarm had been raised at around 4.10am when the man was heard shouting for help in the river near Homebase at Green Park.
Police and paramedics rushed to the scene and managed to speak to him but could not reach him before he went under again.
The man had not been seen since.
An RAF search and rescue helicopter was called in and the crew searched the fast-flowing river for around two hours looking for the victim.
Volunteers from the Avon and Somerset Search and Rescue charity also joined the operation, but have now been stood down.
People living in Bath were first alerted to the unfolding drama when the RAF helicopter arrived over the city at around 6am.
A rescue operation centre was set up at the Homebase store with special rescue teams assembling in the car park.
The helicopter searched the river past the Riverside development, near Lower Bristol Road and onto the bus depot. It has now left the scene.
Firefighters carried out a search along the footpath and the river, but have also left the scene.
Four fire engines and the search and rescue boat were at the scene for just over two hours.
Today's search is the latest in a long line of operations along the river, and there was a major safety review commissioned by B&NES Council, Avon Fire and Rescue, the police and the two universities after a string of previous deaths.
New fencing was put up at Green Park as a result.
