MESSAGES of grief and support for the family of Stella Akanbi have been collected to give to her family.

The ten-year-old disappeared in the sea off Clacton on Sunday afternoon, after getting into difficulty while swimming with a friend.

Her body was discovered on Monday afternoon further along the coast.

Following the tragedy, residents and visitors to Clacton have been leaving flowers and messages of support for Stella and her family.

Det Con Marc Barry and PC Lorraine Clarke were the family liaison officers for the case, tasked with keeping them up-to-date with the search and answering their questions. Stella’s mother and stepfather had already returned to Milton Keynes by the time the tributes began mounting at the scene.

Det Con Barry said: “The family never got to see the flower memorial that was set up along the seafront.

“I took a photograph of the flowers and sent it to them. I have since heard back from them and they very much appreciate the gesture from the community.

“Lorraine and I are also touched by it, because the family have got no ties to the community here. It is not like a relative put something there and it rolled on from there. This was started by strangers and continued by strangers, who wanted to show their support.”

As well as flowers, people have been leaving messages of grief and support, as well as soft toys in memory of Stella.

These were removed yesterday, but Det Con Barry is keen to reassure people this was not because of thieves, health and safety or a council ruling.

“Lorraine and I collected the messages of support and soft toys from the sea front,” said Det Con Barry. “We were told it was going to rain, and we didn’t want them to be ruined.

“All the cards, messages and toys will be sent to Stella’s family in Milton Keynes.”