Search for Sally - police find body

The body of a woman was found in water near the riverside in Jarrow at 1:07pm yesterday.

It has been recovered from the water and inquiries are being carried out to identify the woman.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "Although we can not confirm that the body is that of Sally Allan, her family have been informed and our thoughts are with them at this time."

Sally, 59, left her home in Errington Road, Darras Hall, in the early hours of Boxing Day.

CCTV footage of the last confirmed sighting of her shows her walking alongside the River Tyne near the Copthorne Hotel at around 6am the same day. The camera loses sight of her as she approaches the Swing Bridge

Last month, the family admitted they had lost hope of Sally being found alive and on January 10, hundreds of people joined husband Gordon Allan and their children David, Clive and Claire for a poignant ceremony to lay flowers at the Quayside.

At the time, Gordon thanked the community for their supprt. "Some of the messages, some of the comments, some of the memories of Sally, they've made us cry, they've made us laugh, but I guess most of all they've made us feel proud of our mum and our wife and it has meant so much and it has given us strength to carry on."