Buttermere, with Fleetwith Pike, centre leftA man’s body was found at the foot of a Lakeland crag yesterday.

Buttermere, with Fleetwith Pike, centre left

Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team discovered the remains of a man while searching for Simon Bally of Stoke-on-Trent at Striddle Crag on Fleetwith Pike, at the head of the Buttermere valley. The 48-year-old’s disappearance had sparked a massive search.

Mr Bally had been due to meet his partner at Penrith station on Monday. Police said it was out of character for him not to meet at arranged times and added he had not been seen by friends or family since Saturday.

A widescale search was mounted for the man, known to go scrambling and hillwalking, across north Cumbria and the Lake District.

Cumbria Constabulary had earlier made an appeal for information about the man, from the Foxt area. They asked walkers and residents to look out for Mr Bally’s green VW camper-van which, the force said, could be parked in a campsite or on the roadside.

It was found at a car park near Gatesgarth Pass at about 5.15pm yesterday and the mountain rescue team found the body about three hours later.

Mr Bally also owned a property in Kelvinside, Glasgow.

A spokesman for Cumbria Constabulary said the man has not been formally identified.