A man's body has been found in a river near where police have been searching for a wealthy missing farmer, it emerged today.

William 'Bill' Taylor disappeared from his £1.2 million home in Gosmore, Hertfordshire, at around 9pm on June 3 - just days before his 70th birthday.

Gwyn Griffiths, 59, of Folkestone, was arrested on January 27, and has been charged with conspiracy to murder Mr Taylor, aged 69.

Griffiths is also charged with assisting offenders.

It later emerged the grandfather's Land Rover Defender was deliberately torched in the days before he went missing.

Officers were called to the River Hiz in the nearby village of Charlton on Sunday.

The waterway runs close the areas of farmland that were combed by police last year in a bid to find Mr Taylor.

William Taylor's estranged wife, Angela Taylor, 52, was previously charged with conspiracy to murder.

She appeared at Hatfield Remand Court, Herts., with 53-year-old Paul Cannon, who faces the same charge.

They will be appearing for trial at St Albans Crown Court on Monday, April 8.

Extensive searches were carried out in an effort to find Mr Taylor before information led officers to launch a murder investigation.

A 23-year-old man and an 18-year-old man were previously arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder but have since been released on police bail.