SPECIALIST officers searching for missing former England rugby player Tom Voyce found a body close to where he was swept away while trying to drive across a flood-swollen river, police said today.

Concerns were raised for the 43-year-old ex-wing on Sunday after he failed to return home after being out with friends on Saturday.

Northumbria Police said they 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.”