Tributes have been paid to a photographer who has been described as “Mr Aberystwyth” who “put the town on the map”.

Keith Morris, a well-known local figure whose pictures of Aberystwyth starlings and sunsets featured prominently and regularly in national newspapers, was reported missing on Friday.

Police confirmed today (Monday) that Mr Morris' body was found on Saturday morning in the water at Borth beach, Ynyslas.

Mr Morris, 61, was reported missing at 2.30pm on Friday, 4 October, with coastguard and RNLI lifeboat crews joining the search along with a rescue helicopter.

The father-of-two was last seen and spoken to at around lunchtime on Thursday, 3 October.

Tributes have flooded in for Mr Morris, who was born in Aberystwyth and spent his whole life in the town apart from his time in higher education and a period in California in the 1980s.

Hundreds of Aberystwyth residents have been sharing their memories and favourite photos taken by Mr Morris on social media.

In a statement, Mr Morris’s family said: “We as a family are overwhelmed by the flood of messages of condolence, we thank you all for your kind, passionate words about Keith.

“The world, especially Aberystwyth, is a poorer place without him.”

Ceredigion AM Elin Jones said that “Aberystwyth has lost one of its favourites sons”.

“I can not begin to imagine an Aberystwyth without Keith Morris in it,” she said.

“Snapping our daily lives, telling our story to the world through his images.

“Our starlings and our storms. Our protests and performances.

“His cheeky smile made us smile.

“We’ll smile again, but not just now.

“Gilly and the whole family are in my thoughts at this most painful time.”

Aberystwyth councillor Ceredig Davies described Mr Morris as “Mr Aberystwyth”.

“Keith promoted his home town on every occasion possible and across numerous different mediums,” he said.

“Aberystwyth had a profile across the UK and further afield far bigger than towns of a similar size, due to a large extent by the photographs taken by Keith.”

Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station said the crew searched with “a heavy heart, but hope” when they were told Mr Morris was missing.

“Keith Morris was a brilliant photographer and a great supporter of the RNLI,” a spokesperson said.

“His photos of the storms, starlings and daily life put Aber on the front page across the world, and did so much to promote all that Aber is.”

Mr Morris, who studied geography, economics and urban planning at Exeter University and the London School of Economics before becoming a freelance photographer in the early 1980s, had worked extensively covering music, theatre, film, television, journalism, portraiture, public relations and weddings.

His archive, stretching back to 1976, contains more than one million photos.

The circumstances of Mr Morris’ death are still unknown and police are appealing for information in a bid to piece together the events leading up to the tragedy.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Aberystwyth police on 101.

Mr Morris leaves behind his mother Mona, sister Wendy, brother Roland, wife Gilly, two daughters, Ffion and Sam, and a grandson.