A body has been found in a river near a submerged car as police search for a missing man who vanished in severe storms.

STV News understands the body is that of Derek McInulty who died when his car was swept off a ford passing place on the River Cart at Holehouse Road in Eaglesham.

He was last seen leaving a newsagents in Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire, on January 3.

The 48-year-old had finished work as a night porter at the Eglinton Arms Hotel in the village before he disappeared in what police described as "completely out of character" behaviour.

On Friday morning, Strathclyde Police confirmed that a silver Suzuki Swift that Mr McInulty had been driving was found submerged in the river.

Police said they had found the car at around 5.45pm on Thursday at Holehouse Road.

Later on Friday morning a body was found near the vehicle. The car was found a distrance from the ford passing.

Superintendent Jim Boyle, of Strathclyde's road policing unit, said a crash investigation was being carried out.

He said: "A body has been found further down the river from the car. The car matches the description of the missing one. We believe it may have went off the road at the ford and been swept down the river.

"The area is where the car has gone off the road is where a crash investigation will take place. A police helicopter has been out taking aerial photographs of the river.

"We believe that the water here was particularly high at the time, according to the local farmer."

Four bollards that mark out the ford were completely submerged by the river on the morning Mr McInulty was last seen when heavy rain and strong winds hit the area.

Mr McInulty, who stayed in the Burnbank area of Hamilton, was last seen leaving RS McColl’s in Eaglesham at 7am where he had attended to pick up the day’s newspapers for the hotel.

The discovery comes after his wife Gillian, 46, accompanied by his 17-year-old stepson Phillip, made an emotional appeal for her husband to get in touch.

The STV News video shows Mrs McInulty's appeal in the search for her husband.

IN DETAIL

• Family's appeal for father who disappeared during stormy weather