Teenager's Body Found In River Wear

9 September 2012, 09:15 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

The body of a 16 year old boy who was swept into the River Wear near Bishop Auckland has been found by police divers.

The alarm was raised yesterday afternoon when Colin Dodds got into difficulties in the river while out swimming with two friends.

A major search operation was then put in place led by Durham Constabulary and involving the air ambulance, the police helicopter and a crew from RAF Boulmer.

Activity in the area, at a spot in the river known locally as 'The Batts' continued throughout the night.

At first light this morning (Sunday 9th September) a specialist police underwater search team entered the river and at 4.20am they found a body at the bottom of a pool of water, close to where Colin's friends last saw him.

After being recovered from the scene the body was formally identified by relatives as that of Colin, who lived in Douthwaite Road on Bishop Auckland's Woodhouse Close Estate.

A post mortem is expected to take place in the next couple of days to establish a formal cause of death so that the coroner can open an inquest.

All those involved in the operation have been stood down and the incident room at Bishop Auckland police station has been closed.