Search ends for missing sea diver

Mr Ottewell had been diving with his friends at Scapa Flow

The search for a missing diver in the North Sea has been called off.

Rescuers had been searching for 38-year-old Steven Ottewell since he was reported missing on Saturday.

Mr Ottewell, from the Cheshire area, had been with another diver swimming above the 40m-deep vessel Markgraf in Scapa Flow off the Orkney Islands.

He got into difficulties and failed to resurface. Northern Constabulary said there had been no sign of the diver, and no further searches were planned.

The alarm was raised at about 1050 BST on Saturday.

A major search was launched, co-ordinated by Shetland Coastguard and involving a coastguard helicopter and Stromness and Longhope RNLI lifeboats.

Coastguard rescue teams from Hoy and Stromness were also involved in the operation, along with Grampian Police's diving unit.

Mr Ottewell was recently of Cuddington, Cheshire, and formerly of Selston, Nottingham.