THE body of a Lancaster and Morecambe College student was recovered from England's deepest lake on Tuesday.

Mark Hampton, 34, from Leyland, was diving in Wastwater last Friday when his group got into difficulties.

He was with a team of six divers from Lancaster and Morecambe College on an expedition in the lake at the foot of Scafell in Cumbria.

Four of the divers escaped from the water uninjured but a fifth was taken to the decompression chamber at BNFL Sellafield. Despite an extensive rescue operation Mr Hampton, a mature student at Lancaster and Morecambe college, was not found on Friday. Police divers from the Lancashire Underwater Search Team were forced to break off on Sunday due to the treacherous weather conditions.

Sgt Bill Pearce, who was leading the operation, said: "It seems his friends tried to assist him but there was a lot of sediment stirring up and they lost contact with him.

"We searched on Sunday in atrocious conditions - very heavy blizzards - it was very hazardous and we had to call it off."

A body was eventually discovered on Tuesday and coroner John Taylor has been informed. David Roddam, principal of Lancaster and Morecambe College, said: "It is with great sadness the college has learned of a diving accident involving one of its students and a member of staff at Wastwater. Governors, staff and students at the college are deeply shocked by this sad news and our thoughts are with the parents, relatives and friends of the missing person."

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