THE body found in the River Tweed near Norham last Wednesday morning was that of William Purves from Ladykirk, near Berwick.
Search-and-rescue volunteers from the Borders were involved in a five-hour search for the 64-year-old gamekeeper who worked at Ladykirk estate.
Police were alerted at 10am when Mr Purves failed to turn up for work. His boat had been seen on the river that morning and both fire and rescue crews, as well as the police marine unit set up a search for the missing man.
Specialist volunteer organisations, the Border Search and Rescue Unit (BSRU) and the Borders Underwater Search Team were called in at lunchtime when 11 members from BSRU and three divers trawled the banks and river for the Ladykirk man. An aerial search by a helicopter from RAF Bulmer found no trace of him.
BSRU’s Damon Rodwell said: “The recent heavy rain and exceptionally high river levels had made the steep sections of the bank particularly hazardous, and the search was hampered by dense and slippery vegetation.”
The volunteer divers found Mr Purves’ body just upstream of Norham Bridge after 3pm.
Police say there are no suspicious circumstances and a report has been sent to the Procurator Fiscal.