A GRIEVING family are understood to have travelled to Gloucestershire yesterday to visit the place where a North-East woman died in a diving accident with her boyfriend.

It is believed Janine Davison-Evans, a nanny, could have been trapped in underwater tunnels while exploring a disused quarry.

The body of the 27-year-old, originally from Roseworth, Stockton, was recovered from the Gloucestershire limestone quarry along with that of Hank Tony Austin, 25, of Ascot, Berkshire, following a complicated two-day operation to locate them.

Staff at the National Diving Centre, in Tidenham, had raised the alarm on Friday after they noticed the couple's car was still parked there when they were due to close the centre on Good Friday.

The bodies were located at about 5.30pm on Monday, but efforts to recover them proved unsuccessful.

A specialist team of divers from Surrey, along with divers from Avon and Somerset Police, recovered the bodies on Tuesday with the use of sonar equipment at depths of up to 80 metres. Ms Davison-Evans' family, of Rochdale Avenue, Stockton, are believed to have visited the site of the accident.

Police inspector Carol Ajinka said: "The Health and Safety Executive are aware, but we do not know what happened and why. The coroner has been informed."

The pair are believed to be experienced divers and have used the quarry in the past.

A joint statement issued by Gloucestershire Police on behalf of both families said: "Janine and Hank were truly loved and will be sadly missed by all their family and friends."

A police spokeswoman said: "We are still waiting for the results of the post-mortem examination, which was carried out yesterday. These will help us to further any lines of investigation. At the moment there is nothing to suggest there are any suspicious circumstances."

The Old Dayhouse Quarry is a national diving centre, which opened in February last year. Managing director Stuart Pelham-Davis said: "This is the first time we have had an incident like this since we opened."