A BODY pulled from the River Irwell at Ramsbottom on Sunday afternoon (June 4) has been identified as Bacup man Derek Butler.
The 29-year-old had been reported missing by his family earlier that day. Fishermen discovered his body hours later snagged to a tree in the swollen Irwell close to Nuttall Park.
It is believed Mr Butler, who suffered from depression, fell into the river at Bacup and was swept along with the fast flowing current. A postmortem has established Mr Butler drowned.
Ramsbottom's East Lancashire Railway was closed for a short time after Sunday's discovery and police frog divers and forensic scientists were called in to assist Bury CID with their initial investigations into the cause of the tragedy.
Mr Geoff Cave, Bury's coroner's officer, said: "As a result of police inquiries Mr Butler's tragic death is not being treated as suspicious."
An inquest will now be held to establish how Mr Butler came to be in the river.
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