Sea cliffs near South Stack. Photo: Brian Charlton CC-BY-SA-2.0

Emergency services searching for a pair of missing climbers have found two bodies.

The bodies were found after the men failed to meet two others after a climb on cliffs near North Stack on Anglesey.

A Sea King search and rescue helicopter from RAF Valley on Anglesey joined a search by two Royal National Lifeboat Institution crews and Coastguard rescue teams from Cemaes Bay and Holyhead after the climbers were reported missing about 10.15pm yesterday, Saturday.

Poor weather forced the abandonment of the search at 1am, but rescuers resumed the hunt for the men at first light and the bodies were found at 7.15am in the sea off the coast

A North Wales Police spokesperson said: “The bodies have not been formally identified, but the discovery follows a search for two climbers, a 48-year-old man from Sussex and a 21-year-old man from Hampshire, who had been climbing in the North Stack area of Holyhead yesterday.”

The spokesperson said the North West Wales Coroner will be informed.

The sea cliffs of Gogarth Bay between South Stack and North Stack have numerous challenging climbing routes.