Police find body of boy missing in river

The body of a 16-year-old boy who went missing as he swam in a river with friends in the warm weather has been found by police divers.

A major search operation was launched after Colin Dodds got into difficulties in the River Wear, in Bishop Auckland, Co Durham, on Saturday afternoon.

Police divers found Colin's body in the early hours of yesterday morning in a pool of water close to where he was last seen.

A Durham Police spokeswoman said it was believed Colin went swimming with two 16-year-old friends, enjoying the warm temperatures in the area.

The teenagers were in a section of the river known as The Batts when Colin began to struggle and was unable to reach the river bank. His friends raised the alarm at around 5.15pm.

A joint operation involving police, ambulance, the fire service, the RAF and search and rescue teams was launched and continued throughout the night.

Colin's family were said to be "distraught".