Body found on Wirral confirmed as third missing crew member of Nicola Faith fishing boat, Alan Minard

Alan Minard was on board the Nicola Faith fishing boat when it failed to return to dock in January of this year.

Police have confirmed that a body found on The Wirral in north-west England is one of the three fishing boat crew who went missing near Conwy earlier this year.

North Wales Police said the body has been identified as 20-year-old Alan Minard, who was on board the Nicola Faith vessel when it failed to return to port on January 27.

Earlier this month one of the vessel's life rafts was found off the coast of south west Scotland.

The bodies of the two other crew members, Ross Ballantine, 39, and Carl McGrath, 34, were also recovered from the coastline around The Wirral and Blackpool several weeks ago.

A major search for the vessel was called off after two days as rescue teams could not find anything connected to the boat or its crew.

A spokesperson for North Wales Police said: "We can confirm that the body found on The Wirral on Sunday 14th March is that of 20 year old Alan Minard, who went missing along with two others on the Conwy fishing boat 'Nicola Faith' in January."The family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers."The family would like to thank the local community and businesses for their tremendous support and donations, and request that their privacy be respected at this time."The thoughts of everyone at North Wales Police remains with the families and friends of the three fishermen."A private search for the missing fishing vessel is continuing, led by a deep-sea recovery expert who helped recover the downed plane carrying Cardiff-bound footballer Emiliano Sala.The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is also carrying out an investigation and has been involved in searches off the coast of north Wales.