POLICE searching for a man whose daughter died in a fairground tragedy almost three years ago have found a body in woodland.

David Griffin, 42, was last seen in Adisham, near Canterbury, at 3.45pm on Tuesday. A full-scale search was launched when his van was found abandoned by the woods near Woodlands Manor in the village. A body was found yesterday.

He and his wife Michelle suffered tragedy in September 1999 when their only child, Erin, died from head injuries after falling the Mini Dragon ride at Rotunda in Folkestone.

An inquest found the girl's death was an accident but raised concerns over safety at the park. Owners Dreamland Leisure have denied breaching health and safety regulations. The court case against them was this week set for January, 2003.

Yesterday Army personnel and local residents joined police with dogs searching the woodland for Mr Griffin. At 3pm a police official confirmed they had found a body, believed to be that of a man in his forties.

A formal identification has not yet been carried out but the search has been called off.