Body found in search for diver missing in Orkney

The Churchill Barriers connect five Orkney islands on the eastern edge of Scapa Flow

A body has been found in the search for a diver who has been missing in Scapa Flow, Orkney.

The man - a commercial scallop diver who was based in the islands - was reported missing on 27 November.

Coastguard helicopters and local council tugs were involved in the search after the disappearance.

The body has yet to be identified but the family of the missing man have been informed of the find.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 17:30 on Wednesday 27 November, 2024, we were made aware of a diver missing in Scapa Flow.

"Around 11:00 on Friday 6 December, 2024, the body of a man was found in Churchill Causeway, Orkney.

"Formal identification is yet to take place but the family of the diver have been informed.

"There do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal."

The Churchill Barriers link four islands with the Orkney mainland and were built in the 1940s to protect the waters of Scapa Flow from German U-boats.

They were commissioned by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill after the sinking of the British ship HMS Royal Oak.

Scapa Flow was the Royal Navy's chief naval base during World War One and World War Two.

The waters include the wrecks of the German fleet, which were scuttled there in 1919.