Mother speaks of devastation after party as search is called off for adventurer Two families in mourning as water claims brief lives

Scott, a golfing champion who also played football and rugby, called his mother Liz, 48, from the Kilbryde Communications Christmas party at the Busby Hotel just hours before he died.

Last night at her home in East Kilbride, Mrs Hellyar said: ''He phoned at around nine o'clock and asked if a friend could stay the night here to save on taxi fares.

''I said that was OK and said I would see him later, but I never did.

''When he did not come home overnight I thought he had changed his mind and stayed at a friend's house instead.

''But I knew something was terribly wrong when a friend arrived on Saturday afternoon carrying Scott's jacket, saying he had left it at the hotel.''

Mrs Hellyar's grief was sadly matched by that of a family whose hopes for the survival of a young boy were fading last night after it was feared that he had been swept into the sea near Eyemouth on Sunday.

Tyler Gillie, 12, from Old Town, Ayton, was last seen climbing on dangerous rocks with a friend at around midday on Sunday.

The search has centred around an area known as Weasel Loch, a coastal inlet popular with divers.

Scott Hellyar was last seen alive in the foyer of the hotel shortly before midnight on Friday.

He was waiting for friends to collect jackets, but when they returned, Scott had gone.

His body was found on Sunday yards from the hotel in the river.

Mrs Hellyar, daughter Shirley, 21, and Scott were looking forward to a traditional Christmas at home. His Christmas presents, already bought, were PC games and other equipment for computers.

Scott, who left Duncanrigg High in East Kilbride with eight standard grade qualifications, went straight into work with Kilbryde. It was his ambition to work in the computer industry.

The company were due to pay for Scott to learn to drive and valued him highly.

Mrs Hellyar, who is divorced, added: ''We really do not know what actually happened. I have no idea how he came to be in the river.''

The police informed the family on Sunday that a body had been found fitting Scott's description.

Sister Shirley said: ''We still cannot come to terms with it.'' A report is to be sent to the

procurator-fiscal. Police say they are not treating the death as suspicious.

Family friend John Westwater, 47, said: ''Scott was a young man with everything to live for. He played rugby, football and won golfing trophies at school.

''We know that this was a tragic accident and that no one was to blame. But there were 40 people at the Christmas Party and I just wish some of the more mature people there could have kept their eye on Scott.''

Last night colleagues, friends and managers at Kilbryde were said to be ''devastated'' by the tragedy.

Tyler Gillie was thought to have been staying with relatives when he disappeared. His parents, who are divorced, have three children - an 18-year-old daughter Corinna and a 15-year-old son, Adam, as well as Tyler. Police said the family was helping with the search.

But it is understood that the youngster did not have any problems which may have prompted the disappearance.

The area, Hairy Ness, is known for its treacherous rocks and powerful tides. Sea temperatures in the area are estimated to have plunged to 9C over the last few nights. A team of 24 police officers, including specialists from Edinburgh, joined dog-handlers, coastguard staff and volunteers from the town in a day-long hunt of the area along with helicopters from RAF Kinloss and Boulmer in a full-scale air and sea search.

However, as light faded late yesterday afternoon, the search was called off for the day, although a hunt of the shoreline is expected to resume again today at about 8am. A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said: ''We are becoming increasingly concerned for his safety and would appeal to anyone who recognises his description or knows of his whereabouts to contact police.''

Tyler is described as 5ft 2in, with short dark hair. He was wearing a black bomber jacket with

the word CAT on the back,

navy trousers, and white Adidas trainers. Mr Colin Grieve, who works at a post office in Eyemouth, said: ''If he has gone in the sea, then there would be little or no chance of getting out on any of the rocks down there.''

He said the area was a popular haunt with children and divers, but was a dangerous stretch for play. Lying below a caravan park, the rocky base leads to an outcrop of rocks surrounded by sheer cliffs.

Eyemouth Coastguard manager John Brown said: ''We get a lot of kids playing around here, but it's certainly not a safe playground for kids. It is too easy to be swept away, especially in the conditions of Sunday. There was a big swell at the time and the tide was high.

''We are hoping against hope that he has not ended up in the water. One could only survive for two or three hours maximum.''