THE BODY of a man who entered the water at Dove Stone Reservoir has been recovered on the third full day of a search.
Simon Daniels, from Cheshire, was found after a paddleboarding trip went horribly wrong.
Emergency services, including Coastguard and Mountain Rescue, descended on the area near Greenfield on Sunday, October 20 following reports of two people getting into difficulty.
One woman was rescued when a member of the public threw a line in – and a police underwater search team discovered a body on the evening of Wednesday, October 23.
And the identity has been confirmed as Mr Daniels, who worked as a personal trainer.
Detective Inspector Laura Crossley from Oldham CID said: “Throughout this tragic incident we have been in close contact with Simon’s family and will continue to offer them our support as they come to terms with their loss.
“His death is not being treated as suspicious and the scene has now been closed. A report is being prepared for the coroner.
“We appreciate the public’s support in enabling search teams to carry out their investigations.
“We understand the inconvenience this may have caused over the last few days, but it was important we conducted a full and thorough search for Simon.”
Friends of Mr Daniels’ family were at Dove Stone as they waited for news.
One said: “We sat in silence as the boat calmly brought our mate back to land.
“To all Simon’s family, we are all sending you strength and love and we are all so sorry.
“I wish this was a nightmare, that we could all wake up and see our hero.”