A NOVICE diver who went to Thailand for an extended holiday has stayed on to help in the clear-up operation after the tsunami.
Martin Robertson, of Beacon Gardens, Hartlepool, has been there since September as part of a gap year from work.
The 30-year-old former North Sea oil rig worker had been staying at Patong Beach, near Phuket.
The beach and sea where he had his first scuba diving lesson are now the scene of a clean-up operation and he has volunteered to stay to help.
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