THE body of a missing man was found in a boating lake on New Year s Eve. Police had been alerted that the man, believed to be aged 64 and who has not been named, had left his Stevenage home in a distressed state at 7.10am on Saturday. Officers immediately

THE body of a missing man was found in a boating lake on New Year's Eve.

Police had been alerted that the man, believed to be aged 64 and who has not been named, had left his Stevenage home in a distressed state at 7.10am on Saturday.

Officers immediately mounted a widespread search of the area around Fairlands Valley Lakes.

Six hours after the man vanished his body was found floating in the boating lake by officers.

Stevenage firefighters had to use specialist equipment in the form of a floating air mat to recover the body from the lake.

One member of the Herts and Beds Ambulance Service who attended the tragedy said the temperature of the water was only just above freezing.

"We had been alerted earlier in the day this man had left his family home and officers in Stevenage immediately mounted a search of the area close to his home," said a police spokesman.

"While officers were searching an area around Fairlands Valley Lakes a body was spotted in the water which was later identified as the missing man.

"We are not treating the death as suspicious."

It was the second time in 24 hours Stevenage firefighters had attended an incident at the lake.

On Friday they had to use the specialised air mat to try and save a dog that had fallen through the melting ice on the lake after an appeal for help from the RSPCA.

Unfortunately, by the time they the found the dog it had drowned.

"It was a desperately sad end to the year for us," said Stevenage fire chief Dave Stokes.