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A body has been found in a river in the search for former England rugby union star Tom Voyce who vanished during Storm Darragh.
Northumbria Police said the 43-year-old was likely to have been swept away in the River Aln near Alnwick, Northumberland, on Saturday as weather warnings were in place across the country.
Police believe he was attempting to cross Abberwick Ford but his 4×4 pickup truck was pulled along with the current of the river, which had been running high due to heavy rain in the storm.
As the rugby world expresses its sadness following the discovery here is everything we know about Tom Voyce.
Who is Tom Voyce?
Former England rugby winger Tom Voyce grew up on a family farm in Truro on 5 January 1981 before leaving Cornwall at the age of 16 to join Bath.
Mr Voyce would go on to win nine England caps between 2001 and 2006, scoring three tries, with two of those coming against Samoa during his first Test appearance at Twickenham in 2005.
He is best known for helping London Wasps win the Premiership title at Twickenham in each of his first two seasons with the Adams Park outfit – scoring 15 tries in 34 appearances in the 2003-04 campaign, where they also won the Heineken Cup in a season for the ages.
The following year, he scored a try in the Premiership final as Leicester Tigers were dispatched for the Wasps’ third straight title.
Since his retirement from the sport, Mr Voyce became a trader in the city commuting from Northumberland where he had settled with his wife and children.
Where was he last seen?
Police received a report on Sunday morning that Mr Voyce had not returned to his home following an evening with friends.
It emerged he vanished on the crossing of the River Aln just four miles away from Alnwick, a small town where his farming business is based.
His 4×4 Toyota Hilux was recovered around 15 metres downstream from the point where he tried to cross the river.
There is a footbridge next to the single-track road with a ford warning sign just metres before the river.
What is the latest in the search for Tom Voyce?
Police, family and friends gathered from first light on Wednesday to scour the banks of the river from the ford between Bolton and Abberwick all the way to the sea at Alnmouth.
Officers from Northumbria Police’s Marine Unit waded into the River Aln to search the waters.
Equipped with sticks, the officers tapped their way along the river heading downstream from the ford as drones were sent up to cover the rural area.
Officers from the coastguard joined the search using a dinghy, accompanied by a trained dog.
On Thursday a body was discovered 500 metres downstream from the crossing near Abberwick Mill.
The force said formal identification was yet to take place but Mr Voyce’s next of kin have been notified and were being supported by specialist officers.
Why was he living in Northumberland?
After leaving his high-powered city job at Investec bank, he looked for business closer to his Northumberland home.
Going back to his farming roots he set up Trevow Vegetation Management cutting back invasive species in the surrounding beauty of rolling hills surrounding his home.
Well-known by locals, Mr Voyce was considered a keen innovator – buying his first remote-controlled “flail robot” to cut down hedgerows in 2020.
His business has since evolved with a growing fleet of specialist machines.
He told farming magazine Profi: “It has taken time to win people over.
“For a private estate or landowner I initially look expensive, but I can complete the job about 75% faster than one person doing the job manually with a strimmer or chainsaw.”
What were the weather conditions like when he vanished?
A water level indicator at the ford showed the river was still around one foot deep on Wednesday morning, but it would have been much higher at the weekend when Storm Darragh lashed the UK.
In Northumberland, gusts of 58mph were recorded along the coast with over 48mm of rain being measured at Redesdale Camp on Saturday when Mr Voyce was last seen.
The council warned on Sunday: “While the worst of the storm has now passed, very high winds continue, with difficult driving conditions and residents advised not to travel unless necessary.”
The Environment Agency issued a number of flood warnings and alerts, with the council’s highways teams called out to all three flood warning locations to provide sandbags where required.
The narrow country road that connects the village of Bolton and town of Alnwick dips into the flowing River Aln and is used regularly by farmers in the area.
There is a weight limit on the road and one danger sign warning of an upcoming ford, but it was not on a list of closed roads at the time of Mr Voyce’s disappearance.
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service Fire Control said they had dealt with a number of calls relating to fallen trees, power cuts and surface water flooding affecting roads over the weekend.
They added no reports were received of flooding to homes.
The river level was particularly high at the weekend with a dipstick showing water levels barely visible during Storm Darragh, locals said.
One neighbour told The Independent: “The river is two fields away below our house, under normal circumstances you cannot actually see it because the water is well below the height of the bank.
“It runs through a deep cut for some way in both directions. If you can see water from here not a chance would I take that route.
“On Saturday night the weather was pretty extreme with the storm, the rain had been pelting down solidly since Friday with high winds.
“A little further along from the ford there is a bridge over the river there but we knew the river had burst its banks and that route would be impassable too.”
What are Tom Voyce’s family and former teammates saying?
The Voyce family including his wife Anna have requested privacy following the discovery of a body.
A bunch of roses have been placed on the banks of the river in a nod to the winger’s illustrious international career.
His suspected death has deeply upset the rugby union community.
World Cup-winning England scrum-half Matt Dawson, who played alongside Mr Voyce at Wasps between 2004 and 2006, posted a picture of Mr Voyce on Instagram with the caption: “One of life’s wonderful humans… I can’t express my sadness right now… All the Dawsons send their love and strength to Anna and the whole family.”
England Rugby said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Tom Voyce at this extremely challenging time.”
Gloucester Rugby also posted on X, saying: “Gloucester Rugby is desperately sad to hear the distressing news regarding our former player and friend, Tom Voyce.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tom’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.”
British and Irish Lions posted: “The British & Irish Lions send our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Tom Voyce’s family and friends during this deeply distressing time.”
And Premiership Rugby added: “Everyone at Premiership Rugby is devastated by the news regarding Tom Voyce.
“We send our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.”
Bath Rugby posted on X saying: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Tom Voyce at this incredibly distressing time.”
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