POLICE have defended their decision not to use divers in the search for missing student Euan Coulthard.

The 19-year-old's body was found in the River Wear in Durham City on Friday by commercial diver Trevor Bankhead.

Mr Bankhead found the student within seconds of entering the river close to where he was last seen on CCTV crossing Framwelgate Bridge.

Dozens of people, including police officers, firefighters and search and rescue volunteers, were involved in the search for the student after he went missing on January 14 during a night out.

However, Mr Bankhead was the first diver to enter the river.

Superintendent Colin Williamson, from Durham Constabulary, said the force was grateful to the help given by many people, including Euan’s fellow students, during the extensive search on land and in the water.

He added: “A decision was taken at an early stage by the police search advisor, based on guidance from bodies including the Environment Agency that the condition of the river would have made it unsafe for divers to enter.

"However, extensive searches were carried out on the water by members of the Weardale and Teesdale Search and Rescue Team, as well as County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue, who used a pole-mounted camera to transmit images from below the surface."

Supt Williamson added: “Any suggestion that our decision was due to financial concerns is completely untrue, the decision was taken purely on health and safety grounds following expert advice.”

Mr Bankhead said the visibility of the River Wear was about two metres on Friday.

However, the diver said that was the first day the water was clear enough to conduct a search after melting snow further up Weardale had made the water too murky.

Mr Bankhead, 45, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, travelled from the Western Isles in Scotland, where he works as a commercial shellfish diver, to search for the student's body.

He said he wanted to help bring closure for Mr Coulthard's mother.

The Army veteran learnt to dive while serving with the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery.