The family of a Royal Marines veteran who had been missing for 10 months say they have been told his body has been found.

John Ross Dick, who grew up in Letchworth, was last seen leaving a train at Dovercourt railway station in Essex on November 30.

Since then, extensive appeals and searches by police and his family to find him have proved fruitless.

Last Wednesday, John's family say they were given the devastating news they had been dreading - he had died, aged just 37. He leaves behind his wife, Lorna, and two young children.

While John's family has been informed by police that his body has been found, official confirmation of his identification by the coroner is still awaited.

John's sister, Amy Hooper, said: "We’ve been living an absolute nightmare that has ended in the worst possible way."

She continued: "John and I are Letchworth born and bred. We went to Northfields Infants' and Nursery School, The Grange and then Norton. We spent our summers down at the open air [swimming pool] and walking through the common - even when our mum told us not to!

"I know many of you will have met him in his 37 years with us and I know he was much-loved by so many."

Amy said John - a marine for 13 years - had been "under an extraordinary amount of stress in the lead up to his disappearance". He had been wanted by police in connection with an alleged assault.

The cause of John's death has not been confirmed.