A body has been recovered in the search for former England rugby player Tom Voyce.
The 43-year-old was feared dead after his empty 4x4 was recovered from the River Aln, near Alnwick, Northumberland, which he had been trying to cross using a ford during Storm Darragh.
It is understood Mr Voyce’s Toyota Hilux was recovered around 15 metres downstream from the point where he tried to cross the river on Saturday night.
Specialist police divers on Thursday found a body less than 500m downstream in the river near Abberwick Mill.
Formal identification is yet to take place but Mr Voyce’s next of kin have been notified and are currently being supported by specialist officers.
Concerns were raised for the former England rugby international on Sunday after he had not returned home from being out with friends the previous evening.
It is believed the 43-year-old had entered the River Aln after attempting to cross Abberwick Ford during heavy rain.
Drone searches of the rural area were carried out by Northumbria Police, mountain rescue and Mr Voyce’s family and friends.
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”.
Chief superintendent Helena Barron said: “This is an extremely sad development and our thoughts very much continue to be with Tom’s loved ones.
“I would like to thank all of our officers, partners and volunteers for their assistance throughout the searches which have been conducted in very challenging circumstances.
“We would continue to ask that people respect the family’s privacy at this time.”
The police spokesperson said Mr Voyce’s wife, Anna, and all his family have expressed their gratitude for the help and support of the police, friends and the local community.
Officers do not believe there was third-party involvement in the disappearance.
Mr Voyce grew up on a family farm in Truro on 5 January 1981 before leaving Cornwall at the age of 16 to join Bath.
He would go on to win nine England caps between 2001 and 2006, scoring three tries, with two of those coming against Samoa during his first Test appearance at Twickenham in 2005.
He is best known for helping London Wasps win the Premiership title at Twickenham in each of his first two seasons with the Adams Park outfit – scoring 15 tries in 34 appearances in the 2003-04 campaign, where they also won the Heineken Cup in a season for the ages.
The following year, he scored a try in the Premiership final as Leicester Tigers were dispatched for the Wasps’ third straight title.
The world of rugby expressed its shock and sadness when he went missing, including messages from World Cup winners Matt Dawson and Lawrence Dallaglio.
After retiring from rugby in 2013, Mr Voyce became a high-powered city trader before looking to start a business closer to his Northumberland home.
Going back to his farming roots he set up Trevow Vegetation Management cutting back invasive species in the rolling hills for farmers around his home.
Well-known by locals, he was considered a keen innovator buying his first remote-controlled “flail robot” to cut down hedgerows in 2020.
The river level was particularly high at the weekend with a dipstick showing water levels barely visible during Storm Darragh, locals said.
One local told The Independent: “The river is two fields away below our house, under normal circumstances you cannot actually see it because the water is well below the height of the bank.
“It runs through a deep cut for some way in both directions. If you can see water from here not a chance would I take that route.
“On Saturday night the weather was pretty extreme with the storm, the rain had been pelting down solidly since Friday with high winds.
“A little further along from the ford there is a bridge over the river there but we knew the river had burst its banks and that route would be impassable too.”
Writing on X on Wednesday, Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio said: “It’s the most horrific news and all I would say at this juncture is that please let us all respect Tom’s family and their suffering right now and keep them in all our thoughts.”
Matt Dawson, who played alongside Mr Voyce at Wasps between 2004 and 2006, previously said he could not “express his sadness”.
Premiership Rugby said it was “devastated” and thinking about Mr Voyce’s loved ones.
