THE man found dead at the back of a York city centre restaurant has been identified by police.

He was Darren Catanach, 31, from York, said North Yorkshire Police.

"There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Catanach’s death," said a spokesman.

His family said today his death was a tragic accident, and asked for their privacy to be respected at this difficult time."

The man's body was discovered on Tuesday morning at the back of The Press Kitchen in Walmgate.

The force said at the time that it received a call at just after 8.30am from ambulance services after the body of the man was found at the rear of the restaurant premises.

Several police vehicles were parked up in Walmgate for several hours, along with an ambulance for a while, and a police forensics tent appeared to have been erected at the back of the building.

Police said at the time that inquiries were ongoing to formally identify the man and to establish the circumstances surrounding his death, which remained unexplained.

The restaurant was closed all day but reopened on Wednesday and posted a comment on its Facebook page saying all its staff were OK, adding: "A huge thank you to North Yorkshire Police for handling a very difficult and sad situation yesterday."