A BODY believed to be that of missing man Alex Johnson has been recovered from the River Tyne.

Mr Johnson, of Chester-le-Street, was last seen by CCTV operators on the Tyne Bridge in the early hours of Tuesday, April 16.

The 24-year-old, who had battled with depression, is believed to have fallen from the bridge.

His sister, Ashleigh Marr, who had led a search for her brother after he went missing, posted on Facebook on Wednesday: "We are receiving lots of messages, and I would like to let all of Alex Johnson friends myself before they read it in the news.

"Today we got our beautiful boy back. We have visited him and he’s resting now. Thank you everyone for your love and support."

There was a large presence of police, firefighters and paramedics on the Newcastle Quayside near to the Tyne Bridge at around 9.15am on Wednesday after a body was seen in the water.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: "At 9.15am today we received a report of a body in the Tyne. Officers and emergency services attended the scene where they recovered the body from the river.

"Formal identification is yet to take place and an investigation into how the body came to be in the river is under way."

Police said the body is believed to be that of Mr Johnson and his family have been informed.