EMERGENCY services responded to reports of someone in the River Ouse in York this morning (Monday).

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the incident near Clifton Bridge, off Water End, at about 8.45am and crews and the police began to carry out a search of the river bank.

A spokesperson for the service said: "The police then notified us that they had spoken to a kayaker who had been for a swim in the river (he was out of the river when they spoke to him) and he was believed to have been the person who had been spotted so crews stood down."

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman confirmed that officers did attend the incident, spoke to the swimmer and gave him advice.