The family of a man who has been missing in Ibiza for nine months are awaiting the results of tests on a body found on the island.

Jeffrey Hodgson, from Stockport, who is 39 but who has the mental abilities of an eight-year-old, vanished last July at the start of a holiday.

Mr Hodgson's parents, Beryl and Derek, gave Spanish police samples of DNA after the discovery of two bodies.

One body has been identified but results from tests on the other will not be known for another month.

'Spark of hope'

Beryl Hodgson, 60, a care assistant, said: "It's really, really upsetting for the whole family.

"But we remain positive and won't give up until Jeffrey's found.

"There's still a spark of hope."

Mr Hodgson - who has two brothers and two sisters - disappeared as his parents checked into a hotel in Cala Llonga resort.

The couple from Edgeley, Stockport, have used nearly all their savings to return to Ibiza on a monthly basis to search for him.

A body was found three months ago but tests proved it was not their son.

However, on the Hodgsons' last trip to Ibiza in March, police told them another body had been found and asked for fresh DNA samples.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman told BBC News Online: "We cannot speculate on the identity of the body.

"We don't even know the nationality of the person involved.

"Consular staff remain in close contact with the Spanish authorities."