Last updated at 15:07, Tuesday, 17 July 2012

A family of a Barrow man whose body was found off Walney after a major search over the weekend has today paid tribute to a "a dearly loved dad, son, brother and partner."

• Related article: Rescue crews find body of man on Walney sands

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Paul Thomson, 38, of Parker Street, Barrow was located by the Liverpool Coast Guard after being reported missing from Piel Island.

"The family and friends of Paul are shocked and saddened by his tragic death," a statement from the family said.

"Paul was a dearly loved dad, son, brother and partner who will be sadly missed."

Mr Thomson was believed to have been camping on the island it is thought he attempted to walk back over the sands towards Barrow.

Police were contacted at around 11am and told he had gone missing from Piel Island at around 12.30am.

A number of emergency and voluntary services then became involved in a search operation.

A spokesman for the coastguard said its teams searched the land around Piel Island, Foulney Island and Walney Island, and sent their boat into the Piel and Walney channels.

The RNLI's Barrow inshore lifeboat and Barrow offshore lifeboat were also sent into the channels to help, and a team from Ulverston Inshore Rescue joined the search.

At around 2-30pm the body of a man was sighted by one of the shore rescue teams on a sandbank approximately 1 mile west of the lifeboat station, on the western side of Walney Channel, at a location known locally as Snab Sands.

The RNLI volunteer inshore lifeboat crew recovered the body, and, accompanied by a police officer, transported the body to Barrow Dock and a waiting private ambulance.

The search was then stood down and the lifeboat Grace Dixon crew returned to station and made the boat ready for the next incident by 4-50pm.

Coxswain of Barrow lifeboat, Shaun Charnley said: “On behalf of everyone at Barrow lifeboat station, I would like to send our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased man, it is an absolute tragedy when something like this happens.”

Although police have not yet officially confirmed that the body is that of the 38-year-old man, a spokesman for Walney Coastguard seemed to confirm that the body was that of the man.

The spokesman said: "This was an extensive operation across a wide area, which could not have been completed as effectively without the resources that were available, and the support given by each team to the others.

"The combination of Coastguard and RNLI assets, supplemented by Ulverston Inshore Rescue’s quad bike and search team members, proved extremely effective, and was an example of inter-service working at its best.

"Sadly, the outcome was not what everyone would have wished for, but we have at least been able to give some closure to the casualty’s loved ones. The condolences of all of the search team members are sent to the family and friends of the casualty”.

•  Full story in tonight's Evening Mail

First published at 14:04, Saturday, 14 July 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk