The body of an 85-year-old man has been found near his home outside Ballina in Co Mayo.

Gardaí believe his death was a result of a fall in the current freezing weather conditions.

The body was discovered at around 2pm yesterday afternoon.

The man lived alone in Derryhillagh, a rural area near Ballina.

It is believed he slipped and fell on icy ground a short distance from his home.

He is the second pensioner in Mayo believed to have died as a result of falling on ice.

The body of a 78-year-old man was found on the footpath leading to his house in Claremorris last week.

In Cork, an 81-year-old man was found dead in a field near his home.

Speaking in Mayo today, Superintendent Padraig O'Toole appealed once again to members of the public to check on vulnerable elderly neighbours during the current freezing weather conditions.