An online fundraising drive has been set up to help pay for the funeral of a teenager who went missing after a night out in the Towns.

Ben Savage’s family were told last Wednesday the heartbreaking news a body had been found in the River Medway near the former civic centre, in Strood.

Ben, 18, went missing after a night out in Chatham and police say they pulled a body from the water during the afternoon and then went to inform his family.

The Strood teenager disappeared eight weeks ago after going to the Tap’N’Tin bar in Chatham, and was last seen near the Sun Pier area of Chatham.

At the time, Chatham resident, Tony Jarrett was driving past the scene.

Mr Jarrett, said: “I was driving past and saw a policeman at the edge of the water.

“I immediately thought of Ben, so I stopped.

“All of a sudden there was six police cars and forensics and they asked me to move away. It was a bit of a shock.

“They then blocked off the road.”

The next day, a relative of Ben set up a go fund me page to raise money to pay for his funeral.

Charmaine Robb set the page up and within just 16 hours, more than £910 had been raised.

Charmaine posted: “After getting the go ahead from the family I have set up a go fund me account to help towards costs for Ben’s funeral or even towards some lovely flowers.

“Ben Savage went missing on the 6th December 2016 and sadly was found in the River Medway on the 1st February 2017.

“To pay our respects to his family please donate. Let’s give ben the send off he deserves.”

The emergency services, including the Medway Coastguard team spent more than 500 hours searching the River Medway and the area of Sun Pier for Ben.

On December 14, family and friends held a candlelit vigil for, placing flowers and candles on the end of the pier.

The touching tribute was organised after Ben’s mother, Tara, who issued a statement on behalf of the Savage family, thanking everyone who had given up their time to search for her son.

His heartbroken family, who live in Strood, say they had resigned themselves to the fact he fell in the river and was unable to swim to safety.

She said: “Myself, Martin, Luke and the rest of Ben’s family would like to thank the emergency services, coastguard, volunteers and general public for their overwhelming support in the search for Ben.”

“We would again like to thank the public for their overwhelming efforts searching for Ben.”

Ben, a former pupil at Holmesdale School in Snodland and MidKent College in Maidstone, only turned 18 in November.

After the news of the find broke, KentOnline was inundated with messages of support for Ben’s family on our Facebook page.

A spokesman for police said: “Kent Police was called to the River Medway by a member of the public at 3.22pm on Wednesday 1 February 2017 to a report of a body seen in the water near Rochester Bridge.

“Officers from Kent Police’s search and marine unit attended the scene along with the Kent Coastguard.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious and the family of missing person Ben Savage, who was last seen on 6 December 2016, have been informed of the discovery.”

The body was found just hours after another body of a man was pulled out of the river near the M2 bridge at Strood, at about 9.30am.

The man had jumped from the motorway bridge on Sunday, January 22, after fleeing a domestic incident in Rochester, where a woman suffered multiple stab wounds to her upper body.

She is now said to be in a stable condition in hospital.

The man, who has not been named, was found during a pre-panned search involving Kent Police’s search and marine unit.

Officers discovered the body beneath the M2 motorway bridge.

A spokesman for police added: “The death is not being treated as suspicious and the family of a man reported missing on Sunday 22 January 2017 have been informed.”

“A report will now be prepared for the coroner.”

To make a donation to Ben’s funeral fund, visit https://www.gofundme.com/help-towards-ben-savages-funeral