Body found in search for former England rugby player Tom Voyce
Search efforts to find former England rugby player Tom Voyce have found a body, which has not yet been identified.
Voyce was presumed dead after he was swept away in a river he tried to drive across, with his Toyota Hilux later being recovered downstream.
Police received a report on Sunday morning (8 December) telling them that Voyce hadn't returned home after spending an evening out with friends.
Northumbria Police launched a search and later announced that they 'suspected Tom has attempted to cross Abberwick Ford in his car', explaining that the car had been recovered but they had not found the 43-year-old.
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Now in a subsequent update police have said that search efforts have found a body, which has not yet been formally identified as Voyce though officers have informed his next of kin.
Chief Superintendent Helena Barron, of Northumbria Police, said: “This is an extremely sad development and our thoughts very much continue to be with Tom’s loved ones.
"I would like to thank all of our officers, partners and volunteers for their assistance throughout the searches which have been conducted in very challenging circumstances. We would continue to ask that people respect the family’s privacy at this time.”
Police believed that Voyce went into the River Aln near Alnwick after trying to cross the Abberwick Ford.
A marine unit for Northumbria Police found a body in the river near Abberwick Mill today (12 December), officers do not believe there was any third party involvement.
The area had been affected during the weekend by Storm Darragh, which had caused some flooding, resulting in the river level being particularly high.
Northumbria Police had said their search efforts had faced 'very challenging conditions, not least due to the river flow and the level being significantly heightened after the exceptionally heavy rain experienced over the weekend'.
During his career in rugby, Voyce won nine caps for England and spent six years at Wasps between 2003 and 2009 where he helped them win European and domestic titles.
He had previously played for Bath between 2000 and 2003, and after his successful stint at Wasps he joined Gloucester in 2009.
Voyce played the last year of his career for London Welsh and made 220 Premiership appearances before retiring in May 2013.
When police had previously announced they suspected that Voyce had been swept away and was presumed dead a spokesperson said that Tom's wife Anna and his wider family had expressed gratitude to those providing help.
Joe Harker