Police searching river find item

Police are to search a stretch of water for Danny Hathaway's body

Police divers searching for the body of a murdered traveller in a stretch of water in Norfolk have found an item which they said "may be of interest".

But police said they were disappointed not to have found the body of Danny Hathaway, of Corby in Northamptonshire, who disappeared in February 2007.

Earlier this year Tony Holland, 23, of Desborough, was jailed for life for the 44-year-old's murder.

Police divers were set to continue the search through the evening.

Police said tests were being carried out on the item recovered by Lincolnshire Police divers to find out if it was significant and had links to Mr Hathaway.

Det Insp Rankin McCarrick, of Northamptonshire Police, said: "We have found an item which is of interest to us.

Tony Holland murdered Danny Hathaway and Bill O'Connor

"It is disappointing that at this stage we have not found Danny, as this would have helped his family find out what happened to him.

"If we do not find his body this evening we will return to Northamptonshire and reassess what our next step will be."

Mr Hathaway disappeared after leaving his home on the travellers' site in Gretton Brook Road, Corby, on 7 February last year.

Police searched water at Saddlebow Sailing Club in August 2007 but found nothing.

As well as the murder of Mr Hathaway, Holland was convicted of stabbing to death Bill O'Connor, 20, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in April 2007.

The judge at Ipswich Crown Court who jailed him for life in May ruled he must serve a minimum of 35 years.

Mr O'Connor was killed while Holland was on bail after his arrest on suspicion of murdering Mr Hathaway.