A ROSSENDALE couple have spoken of their shock at finding the body of a man in a reservoir during an afternoon stroll.

James Cropper and Sarah Rowley, 28, were walking with two of their three young children at Clough Bottom reservoir on Saturday when they discovered the body.

As they walked along the bank Mr Cropper, 48, said they noticed an object floating.

He said: “We thought it was just a balloon but as we got closer to it, it started to look like a human head.

“We really weren’t sure what it was so we walked to a friend’s house around the corner to borrow a pair of binoculars.

“When we got back it was quite obvious what it was. You could see a man’s crewcut and his ears.”

Mr Cropper, a builder from East Bank, Water, said another passer-by alerted police.

Detectives and an underwater search team worked for more than five hours to recover the body, which was around 50 yards from the bank.

Sarah, a housewife, said: “It was awful. You don’t expect to see something like that when you are out on a family walk.

"This is the first dead body I’ve seen.

“The children, five-year-old son Jake and Keira, three, were aware what was going on but luckily I don't think they were able to understand it was real.

"They didn’t have any nightmares last night.”

Mr Cropper said: “As soon as we realised it was a body we thought we had found Paul Brady, who was kidnapped and murdered a couple of years ago, as he is the only person we know who is missing.

“There are also rumours circulating the village from people who saw the body lifted from the water.

"They say the body had chains weighing down its hands and feet.

“We didn’t see this but it would make sense as it was only the head that had floated to the surface.

“We could see there were some marks on the man’s head.”

People have refused to confirm or deny that the body appeared to have chains attached to it when it was brought out.

They believe it may have been in the water for around seven to 10 days.

It is understood to be the body of a white man, but no age or description has been released.

Shelagh Jagger, the landlady of the Commercial pub, in Water, said: “It was a real shock.

"Water is a lovely quiet little village and you just wouldn't expect this to happen.”

Lesley Cropper, joint owner of the Commercial pub, said: “I was sitting in the beer garden when all the emergency services went past and it was obvious something major had happened.”

Rossendale Council Leader Alyson Barnes said: “This is such sad news. Whoever it is they are someone's son and my thoughts are with their family.

"I hope the police investigation runs smoothly and finds out what happened quickly.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0845 125 3545.