TRIBUTES have been paid to Ben Clarkson, after it was confirmed at the weekend he had been found in the River Foss in York.

Yesterday (Sunday, March 23) North Yorkshire Police announced that a body discovered in the river on Friday, March 21, was that of 22-year-old Mr Clarkson.

He had last been seen in the early hours of March 2, after leaving Fibber’s music venue in Stonebow, but failed to return to his home in the Heworth Green area of the city.

Numerous searches of the nearby river failed to produce any clues earlier in the month, until the police underwater search unit resumed its examination of the waterway on Friday (March 21) and found his body at Foss Bank, near the entrance to Sainsbury’s.

Today, tributes were left near the spot where he had been found, with flowers, balloons, messages and soft toys tied to a nearby tree. His family and loved ones are currently receiving support from specially trained officers.

An urgent river safety summit is due to take place in York today.

It will involve an open discussion between organisations across the city including voluntary groups, university representatives, police and the City of York Council on river safety.

Mr Clarkson had disappeared on the same day that student Megan Roberts was found dead in the River Ouse, about five miles downstream of the city centre.

The 20-year-old fine arts student is believed to have drowned on January 23 after a night out in York.