Police searching for a skilled scallop diver who failed to surface while working off the Purbeck coast have found a body following a major search operation.

Dorset Police named the diver as father-of-two Matthew Green, aged 33, from Mudeford.

Matthew, who was only married five weeks ago, was reported missing on Tuesday lunchtime after diving 2.5km off Durdle Door, near Lulworth Cove.

His brother Robert Carter-Lovell told the Echo: “He was scallop diving as usual, his last bag came up but he simply didn’t follow. He just didn’t come up.

“After the alarm was raised a huge search operation took place.”

A number of fellow divers travelled to the area where Matthew had been working, in a bid to retrace his movements on the sea floor. 

The Echo understands Matthew’s other brother, Daniel, was on one of these dive boats taking part in the search.

Mr Carter-Lovell said: “Matthew is an experienced diver, he’s been doing this for more than ten years.”

Extensive searches took place with the HM Coastguard, the RNLI, specialist shore-based rescue teams and Dorset Police all involved.

Two helicopters were also involved in the operation, which covered a large area from Osmington to Kimmeridge.

Matthew is one of four siblings, with two brothers and a sister. He recently married his partner of six years, Mandy, and the couple lived in Mudeford with their two young children.

Chief Inspector Alan Setchell, of Dorset Police, said: “Our thoughts are with Matthew’s family at what must be an extremely difficult time and we will do everything we can to support them.

“I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the search effort over the past two days.”

Mr Carter-Lovell also told the Echo that Matthew, and the rest of the family, have recently been travelling to visit their sick mother in hospital in Plymouth.

She has been in the hospital’s intensive care unit for three weeks after falling ill.

Swanage all-weather RNLI lifeboat crew were one of the teams involved in the search, assigned to a ten square mile area south of Tyneham after 6pm on Tuesday.

An RNLI spokesman explained: “After two hours of searching nothing had been found.

“The lifeboat was then asked to search close inshore from Lulworth Cove to Kimmeridge and proceeded slowly along the coast in failing light.

"Again with nothing found and now in growing darkness the UK Coastguard released the lifeboat and suspended the search.

“Our thoughts are with the diver’s family and friends at this time.”

A Dorset Police spokesman confirmed: “A body has now been found in the water and, while formal identification is yet to take place, it is believed to be Matthew.

“His family are aware and are being supported by officers at this difficult time.”

Matthew, is well known in the fishing community, working off Lulworth Cove and Dartmouth, Devon.