Nicola Faith: Second body confirmed as missing fisherman

Father-of-two Ross Ballantine was previously described as a "devoted dad" by his sister

A body found on a beach on the Wirral has been identified as one of three fishermen from Conwy who went missing.

Ross Ballantine, 39, had been missing since the disappearance of the Nicola Faith fishing boat on 27 January.

North Wales Police said a body found at West Kirby on 12 March was that of Mr Ballantine.

It comes after a body found on a Blackpool beach was identified as skipper Carl McGrath. Third crew member Alan Minard, 20, is still missing.

Mr Ballantine's family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.

Alan Minard, Ross Ballantine and Carl McGrath went missing while on the Nicola Faith fishing boat

The Nicola Faith fishing boat has been missing since 27 January

A police statement said his family would like to thank the local community and businesses for their "tremendous" support and donations.

A private search looking for the men and their boat had to be suspended on Tuesday afternoon due to weather conditions.

The bodies of three men were then found last week off the north-west coast of England

A major search operation was launched when the Nicola Faith did not return to Conwy but was called off "pending further information" after two days.

Earlier this month, its life raft was found off the coast of Kirkcudbrightshire in Scotland by the Coastguard.

The bodies of three men were then found last week off the north-west coast of England, with family members informed and post-mortem examinations taking place.