AN INQUEST has begun into the death of a kayaker who went missing off the coast of Hove.

The body of Andrea Lauro, 36, was found on the beach in the early hours of Tuesday last week.

The father-of-two went missing two days earlier after taking a kayak out from Hove Lagoon.

There was a huge search operation as the emergency services scoured the coast.

The Argus:

Andrea lived in Hove, having moved with his family from Lake Como in northern Italy when he was 12. He had a girlfriend and two children, Courtney, 14, and Lucy, 11, with a previous partner.

The Argus:

His brother Fabio Lauro paid tribute to Andrea, saying: “When something needed doing, or if something was broken, there was only one name you would think of – Andrea. He would do anything to help people.”