THE grieving parents of a North-East teenager who drowned at a Scottish tourist spot last night paid tribute to their son.

Adam Shad, 15, who had learning difficulties and had been missing since Tuesday, was found by an underwater police team at a river in Arygyll and Bute.

The boy was formally identified by his stepfather, Terence Cooper, shortly after the body was recovered from the River Falloch, close to the caravan site where the family had been on holiday.

Last night, Adam's mother, Jeanette Cooper, of Felling, Gateshead, said: "At least he's free and that's what he wanted. He wanted to be free from disability and now he is."

Mr Cooper added: "We would just like to thank everybody out there, the mountain rescue workers, the divers, everybody who's been here for the past couple of days looking for Adam."

Mr and Mrs Cooper said Adam's brother Joseph, 11, had still to be told the news.

His parents said they were dreading how he would react. "How can you tell an 11-year-old boy that his brother is dead?" said Mr Cooper.

Adam, who suffered learning difficulties as a result of a car accident, disappeared on Tuesday after being dropped off by his stepfather to explore a hillside overlooking Loch Lomond.

Police officers, the coastguard and mountain rescue teams had spent two days combing the area.