Body of missing swimmer David Zikhali found

The body of a student who went missing after going swimming in the River Tees has been recovered by police.

David Zikhali, 20, was with friends when he got into difficulties in the water near the Millennium Bridge in Stockton on Monday evening.

His family were at the river bank, where friends and fellow students had been laying flowers, when he was found.

Mr Zikhali's father Bernard said they always had "that hope or that dream" he would be discovered alive.

"Until you have the body, that's the feeling that everybody has," said Mr Zikhali.

A police dive team had resumed the search after an overnight break as the operation entered its third day.

Police said they were not treating Mr Zikhali's death as suspicious and warned people about the dangers of open water.

"Despite how tempting it may be in hot weather, people can get into difficulty very quickly due to cold temperatures, depth and undercurrents," a force spokeswoman said.