Body found in hunt for boy swept out to sea

A body was found today on a stretch of coastline near to where a teenage boy was swept out to sea a week ago.

The identity of the dead person found in the Porthcawl bay area in South Wales at around 6am is yet to be established but it is feared it could be Shady Reed.

The 14-year-old, from the local area, was washed off the breakwater in the holiday resort by a wave on Friday evening last week.

After an extensive search featuring lifeboats, two helicopters and shore-based teams, rescuers abandoned the search after almost 24 hours.

During the rescue operation, two lifeboatmen tried to swim out to Shady when he was about 100 yards from shore, but he disappeared when they arrived.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the survival time in the sea at this time of year was estimated to be about three hours.

Conditions when he was swept away were said to be moderate to rough, with a higher-than-average high tide.

Known locally as The Pier, the breakwater is part of the town's harbour wall. Since the incident, dozens of floral tributes have been left on the harbour wall bearing Shady's name.

A spokeswoman for South Wales Police said: "We can confirm a body was recovered in the Porthcawl bay area this morning at around 6am. The body has yet to be formally identified."