Family pay tribute to 'loving mother' who died in River Mersey in New Brighton

The family of a woman who died after getting into difficulty in the River Mersey as she attempted to rescue her dog have paid tribute to her.

Christine Robinson, 57, from Eastham died following an incident in the River Mersey off Kings Parade, New Brighton on Monday (6 July).

Christine's sons said "there are no words to describe the emptiness we are all feeling" and described their mum as someone who was "caring and kind hearted," and had a smile which would "brighten up anyone's day".

In a statement, her family said: "There are no words that can describe the emptiness we are all feeling following the tragic loss of our mum."Christine sadly died while walking her pet dog with her son Niall. The dog was swept into the River Mersey on a slipway at New Brighton, and both Christine and Niall got into difficulty while trying to reach the dog."All three were removed from the water by emergency services, but despite the efforts of paramedics, Christine was pronounced dead at the scene."We can't even begin to describe what type of person she was, she had such a positive impact on every person's life she entered and was so caring and kind hearted."Her smile could brighten up anyone's day. If she wasn't working or with her friends and family she could always be found in the garden with our dog trying to tidy up."She was a beloved partner, loving mother and heartwarming friend. The amount of support we have received from friends at Boots Chester where she worked as a pharmacy technician has been overwhelming and we have just been shocked by how big a circle of friends our mum had."The loss of our mum has been felt far and wide by our family and friends in the North East, where she is from. This is just another bright aspect of our mum's life that no matter how far she was from friends or family she was always there for people in any way she could be."The love and kindness that our mum showed us will help us to find strength in these differcult times."We'd also like to send a heartfelt thank you to the RNLI, Coastguard, Police and Ambulance service for their hard work during this tragic event."