Police have said the body of a male has been found during the search for missing 78-year-old Joesph Rice.

A force spokesperson said: 'Just after 8am this morning, Sunday, January 22, the body of a deceased male has been found by search and rescue dogs during the search for missing person Joseph Rice.

'Police will not be releasing any further information at this time. We can confirm we are not treating the death as suspicious.

'The next of kin and family have been informed. We would like to thank the public for all of their assistance and kindly ask that you respect the privacy of the family at this time.'

Mr Rice was reported missing from Ballanard Court in Douglas on Friday.

Police, Civil Defence, the Isle of Man Search and Rescue Dog Association and Isle of Man Fire and Rescue joined up with members of the public to search the area.

Posting on social media, Mr Rice's son Danny said: 'On behalf of all our family I would like to thank every single person who took time to search for my dad.

'Also to those who left positive messages, it has given us all comfort over the past few days.

'It hasn’t been the outcome we wanted but we appreciate all the effort that was made.'