The heartbroken sister of a teenager who drowned in the River Tyne has described him as a "smiley, happy, little man" and "the best little brother".
Emma Hattersley said her brother Robert, 13, got into difficulty while swimming in the river near Ovingham in Northumberland with friends last month. The 24-year-old said he got pulled in by strong currents and those with him were unable to save him.
Emma and her family had to wait for around six hours while the emergency services searched the water for him. Later that night, police arrived at the home of her parents Stella, 47, and dad Carl, 48, in Crawcrook, Gateshead.
