Ian has been missing since he fell into the River Wear last week

The mother of an eight-year-old boy who fell into a swollen river has vowed never to stop looking for him.

Ian Bell was playing with friends near his home in Sunnybrow, Willington, County Durham, last Friday evening when he was swept into the River Wear.

Ian has not been found, despite an extensive search by public volunteers, police, fire crews and the RAF.

Police have since reduced their search.

Ian's mother, Claire Bell, said: "We still have hope in our hearts that Ian will be found soon and just want to find him and bring him home.

"As Ian's mother I have always made sure he was aware of the dangers when playing nearby to the river.

"We are all devastated that we may never find Ian, but we will always have hope and will continue to search for him.

"Our friends and neighbours have been fantastic over the last few days and we would like to thank everyone involved in the search for their help - it means such a lot to the family during this extremely difficult time that we have the support of our tight-knit community."