A SPECIALIST dive team has called off its search for a teenager who went missing while swimming in the River Tees on Monday.

The police unit will resume its search for the 19-year-old, named locally as David Zikhali, in the morning along the stretch of the river that runs through Stockton near to the River Tees Watersports Centre.

It believed the teenager got into difficulties while swimming across the river with a group of friends.

RNLI volunteers joined the divers throughout today (Tuesday) as the search continued but was called off for the evening at around 4.30pm.

Despite speculation on social media that a body had been recovered during the day, a Cleveland Police spokeswoman confirmed the search for the former Middlesbrough College student will resume in the morning.