- Tom Voyce had tried to cross Abberwick Ford over the River Aln near Alnwick
A body has been found in the search for a former England rugby player after his car got swept into a fast-flowing river during Storm Darragh.
Tom Voyce, 43, had tried to cross Abberwick Ford over the River Aln near Alnwick, Northumberland, before his vehicle was swept away with the current on Saturday night.
The sportsman won nine caps for England during his career, and in club rugby played for teams including London Wasps, Bath, and Gloucester.
Specialist officers from Northumbria Police’s Marine Unit made the tragic find in the river near Abberwick Mill earlier today.
Formal identification is yet to take place but Mr Voyce’s family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
Chief Superintendent Helena Barron said: ‘This is an extremely sad development and our thoughts very much continue to be with Tom’s loved ones.
‘I would like to thank all of our officers, partners and volunteers for their assistance throughout the searches which have been conducted in very challenging circumstances.
‘We would continue to ask that people respect the family’s privacy at this time.’
Officers do not believe there to be any third-party involvement and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
A body was found in search for England rugby player Tom Voyce (pictured playing for England in 2005) after his car got swept into a fast-flowing river
The ford – a usually shallow water crossing where cars can pass – where Mr Voyce tried to drive through during Storm Darragh
A floral tribute placed at the scene at the River Aln, where Mr Voyce was swept away
Five rescue members search the flood-swollen river in a bid to find missing Mr Voyce this morning
Former rugby player Mr Voyce pictured with his wife Anna, who he married in 2015
Police launched a search for the England wing on Sunday morning after he never returned home from an evening with friends.
His car was then recovered but Mr Voice remained missing, with searchers gathering from first light this morning to scour the banks of the river from the ford between Bolton and Abberwick, all the way to the sea at Alnmouth.
The operation included specialist officers from the force’s Marine Section, the National Police Air Service, drones and dog handlers. Volunteers also looked for the rugby player alongside his family and friends – including his wife Anna Wood, who he married in 2015.
Storm Darragh devastated the UK over the weekend after 96mph winds crushed cars, wrecked homes and uprooted trees, while heavy downpours caused rivers to burst their banks and flood the streets of nearby towns.
Northumbria Police said the ‘exceptionally heavy rain’ from Storm Darragh had ‘significantly’ increased the River Aln’s water level and flow.
Mr Voyce was born in Truro, Cornwall, and went on to be educated at Penair School in Truro. He continued his education at King’s College in Taunton.
Outside of rugby he was an ambassador of the Wooden Spoon Society, a children’s charity. It supports kids and young people with disabilities or living in disadvantage in the UK and Ireland.
The star started his playing career with Bath Rugby, working his way up through the lower sides before debuting for their Premiership team.
While at Bath he became an established member of the England under-21 side and in 2001 he made his senior England debut against the USA – his first of nine.
In 2003 after 55 appearances with Bath, Mr Voyce would go on to join London Wasps, where he would play the majority of his senior club rugby.
Police at the scene at River Aln, during the search to find former rugby player Mr Voyce
Members of the Police Marine Unit at the scene at Abberwick Ford on the River Aln near Alnwick
Two members of a search and rescue team during a search operation at Abberwick Ford
A life boat carrying a search dog on the River Aln this morning amid a desperate search for Mr Voyce
Search escue members in a rescue boat searching for the former England wing
Mr Voyce tried to cross the flood-swollen river in his car during Storm Darragh
During the 2004 season he set the record for the quickest try ever scored as he gathered a loose ball from kick off and crossed by the posts in 9.63 against Harlequins.
He also scored a try in the 2005 Premiership rugby final, helping Wasps secure their third consecutive title.
It is here that he became an established member of the England team, having been selected for each of England’s Six Nations matches during the 2006 tournament.
Mr Voyce came off the bench in England’s opening tie, scoring in the process before starting in the second match.
He made a further start for England in the 2006 Six Nations this time against Ireland as England sputtered throughout the tournament.
His final England cap came against Australia in Sydney, in a performance he admitted himself was quite poor, and his international career ended with nine caps and 15 points.
In March 2009 it was announced Mr Voyce would join Gloucester, where he spent three years.
His final stop in his career was London Welsh who he joined in April 2012, with the sportsman announcing his retirement from all forms of Rugby in May 2013
Mr Voyce’s suspected death has deeply upset the rugby union community.
Matt Dawson, who played alongside Mr Voyce at Wasps, posted a photo of Mr Voyce on Instagram alongside the caption: ‘One of life’s wonderful humans… I can’t express my sadness right now… All the Dawsons send their love & strength to Anna and the whole family.’
Mr Voyce pictured playing for England in 2005
Mr Voyce pictured with former England and Wasps captain Lawrence Dallaglio
Mr Voyce and Danny Cipriani pose with the trophy after winning the Guinness Premiership Final in 2008
England Rugby said on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Tom Voyce at this extremely challenging time.’
Gloucester Rugby also posted on X, writing: ‘Gloucester Rugby is desperately sad to hear the distressing news regarding our former player and friend, Tom Voyce. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tom’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.’
Before the body was found, Chief Superintendent Helena Barron, from Northumbria Police, said: ‘This is an extremely tragic incident, and our thoughts are very much with Tom’s loved ones at this time.
‘Our officers continue to support his family and we would ask that their privacy is respected.
‘Extensive enquiries have been ongoing since concerns were raised for Tom, including deploying specialist teams to search for him.’
Chief Supt Barron said: ‘Our searches continue but we are dealing with very challenging circumstances in trying to recover Tom.
‘This is down to the conditions, including the river flow and the level being significantly heightened due to the exceptionally heavy rain we experienced over the weekend.
‘Sadly, we can therefore not provide any timescales around this. We would like to thank our colleagues from Mountain Rescue for their continued support and all those who have helped with the searches.’
Those who carried out the searches were doing so in a coordinated manner and were either trained or know the local area and terrain well.
Members of the public have been asked not to attend the scene to conduct their own searches.
The spokesperson said Mr Voyce’s wife Anna and all his family expressed their gratitude for all the help and support from the police, friends and the local community in helping find Mr voyce.
People cross a bridge over the River Wye after Storm Darragh hit the country, in Hereford on December 8
A woman walks next to flooding on a road after Storm Darragh hit the country, in Hereford on Sunday
A Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) spokesperson said they were called to the scene at 2.10pm on Sunday by Northumbria Police.
‘We attended with our Swift Water Team and provided portable lighting units to assist the search,’ they said.
‘Our teams also secured the car to the bankside. NFRS has since been stood down by the police.
‘Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the missing person at this incredibly difficult time.’
Two people are confirmed to have died during Storm Darragh on Saturday.
Kher Hussain Shahin, 56, was killed after a tree fell on his car while driving in Erdington, Birmingham, and a man in his 40s, died after a tree fell on his van in Lancashire.
The fourth named storm of the season brought strong gusts to many parts of the country over the weekend, which saw tens of thousands of people without electricity.
More than 120 flood alerts and 35 flood warnings were in place on Monday morning, with warnings that water levels on the River Severn will remain high until Wednesday.