A missing nine-year-old schoolboy has now been found safe and well.

At around 9.15am on Tuesday morning, police received a report that nine-year-old Josh Dinning had gone missing from his home on Meadow Lane in Dunston .

Josh was last seen the previous evening when he went to bed at around 9.30pm.

However when his parents went to get him up for school in the morning he was not there and he has not turned up at his school in Dunston.

Following a four-hour search, which included sniffer dogs and the police helicopter, officers said they had located Josh and he was safe and well.

A spokesman said: "Thanks to everyone who helped share the appeal and assisted officers with the investigation."