POLICE divers last night failed to find a suspected stolen car that plunged into the River Tees on Wednesday - despite spending several hours trawling the murky river bed.

Mystery surrounded the whereabouts of the red Mazda 323, which is believed to have been driven into the river behind Yarm High Street.

Divers from Northumbria Police will return to the riverside this morning after they called off the search at about 6pm yesterday.

A Cleveland Police spokesman said the search area had already been extended 50 metres downstream from where the car was believed to have entered the water.

Inspector John Bruce said: "At the present time, we are surmising that it is the red Mazda that has gone into the water, but no-one knows for sure.

"We do not know if there were people in it when it crashed or if it is a wanton act of vandalism.

"Obviously, we are concerned and would be keen to hear from friends and relatives of people who have not been seen since last night.

"If someone was in the car, they would have had the chance to get out in time but, until we find the car, we won't know for sure what has happened."

The car had been reported stolen from a car park at the rear of Somerfield's supermarket at about 11pm on Wednesday.

Paint smears and tyre tracks indicated that the vehicle was driven down a flight of steps, through a barrier and into the river.

The water is up to 20ft deep in places at the spot where the frogmen will resume their search today.

An initial search by a police helicopter failed to spot the vehicle and door- to-door inquiries shed no light on the events.