A British pensioner has been found dead at a rubbish tip in Spain three weeks after he went missing.

Denis Walker, 82, disappeared from La Parilla Hotel in Albox, on the edge of the southeastern province of Almeria, on 25 March.

His daughter Joanne Walker launched an online appeal after he was officially made a missing person and dozens of expats joined the search for the popular Brit.

But Spanish police confirmed his body had been found at a dump near the town of Arboleas, about six miles from where he went missing, on Monday.

Investigators are now probing Mr Walker’s cause of death and how he came to be at the tip.

His daughter previously revealed he suffered with dementia – but said it was out of character for him to wander off.

She wrote on Facebook exactly a week after his disappearance: “My father Denis Walker has been missing from La Parilla Hotel in Albox for the past week.

“He suffers with dementia. He never wanders off and is usually quite happy to sit in the bar or outside watching the day go by.

“Please let me know if you have seen him. He is officially a missing person with the police.”

In an update on Monday, she said: “Thank you so much for your love and help trying to find my father. Unfortunately Denis was found today. RIP Dad.”

A spokeperson for the Spanish Civil Guard confirmed the body found in Arboleas was that of Denis Walker.

However they declined to give any futher details about the circumstances surrounding his death as the investigation continues.