A couple feared drowned in the River Wharfe have been described as "blissfully happy" when they arrived at their hideaway honeymoon cottage.

Owner Eileen Baron, who greeted Lynn and Barry Collett, said they were laughing and joking together when their car pulled up at Houghside Cottage in Appletreewick, where they planned to spend a week.

But fears are growing for the couple who haven't been since Monday when a tourist reported seeing a body in the surging waters of the notorious Strid at Bolton Abbey.

Police have called off the underwater search until Monday because the waters are too dangerous but were today searching the riverbank with dogs. When the couple arrived on Sunday, Mrs Baron said: "They were in high spirits, very bright and full of joy."

Student nurse, Lynn, from Hook in Hampshire, whose 26th birthday was on Wednesday, and Barry, a 29-year-old computer operator of Camberley, Surrey, were married last Saturday at Long Sutton Church, near Hook.

Mrs Baron, whose home adjoins the holiday cottage four miles from the Strid, said she spoke to the couple for a short while on their arrival.

"They were hoping to walk and visit sights around the area. There is a map in the cottage which details the area. The Strid is marked on it and as they were interested in walking, I assumed that would have appealed to them," she said.

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