THE search for a Redcar diver missing from the west coast of Scotland was called off on Tuesday.

Dorothy Morris, 49, of Lavernock Close, Redcar, went missing with fellow diver Stuart Haldine, 43, from Droitwich, Worcestershire, on Monday.

They had been in a group on a charter boat diving near a reef off the Garvellach islands, near Oban, Argyll.

The alarm was raised when Mr Haldine came to the surface. He was pronounced dead by a doctor rushed to the scene in a rescue boat.

Strathclyde Police Underwater Unit, the Oban and Islay Lifeboats and the Stornoway Coastguard Helicopter, along with the remaining members of the diving party, carried out an extensive search of the area, but were unable to find Mrs Morris.

A spokesman for the Clyde coastguard said the search was called off when a helicopter did a final search and reported that her body had not surfaced.

Mrs Morris and Mr Haldine were members of the British Sub Aqua Club. Mrs Morris was described as a relatively experienced diver. She was also secretary of the Saltburn-based Cleveland Divers and was married with two children.

A British Sub Aqua Club spokesman said the pair were sufficiently experienced to handle the type of diving required in the Oban area as they were sports level divers, which meant they had completed at least 20 dives.