Missing climbers Tim Newton and Rachel Slater were hit by a "massive" avalanche", the leader of a mountain rescue team that recovered their bodies said today.

The pair were finally found on Ben Nevis on Wednesday, five weeks after they disappeared.

John Stevenson, leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, said the couple were a few feet apart.

Another climber had noticed a red jacket below the snow and ice and alerted the authorities.

The rescue team dug out the couple's bodies.

"They had been hit by a massive avalanche, a huge one. They had not even started climbing. They were not roped together," said Mr Stevenson.

"The avalanche must have come out of the Observatory Gully - a 15 minute walk from the CIC hut where their tent was found. It probably happened on their first day on the mountain.

"Because they were covered by so much snow we could not find them until conditions had thawed enough. They were under a lot of snow. We - and others - must have walked past them so many times.

"They were a few feet apart. We will never know what fully happened but they must have been buried by a really big avalanche. We dug them out and stretchered them off the hill. It was a very emotional job for the team. But these searches do not always have the best of outcomes - it is part of the job unfortunately.

"At least the families can now have closure. We are obviously sorry about the outcome and send our condolences to the families.

"We have had a fantastic response from the public - with thousands of messages. We would like to thank them for all their help. They have been fantastic."

The families of Mr Newton and Ms Slater have been informed, Police Scotland said.

The first possible clue to finding the last resting place of the couple who disappeared on a Valentine's Day climb on Britain's highest mountain was found on Sunday.

A hillwalker had discovered an ice axe on the 4011-feet high mountain that may have belonged to experienced climbers Ms Slater, 24, and Mr Newton, 27.

But Mr Stevenson said it instead was recognised by a Swiss climber as belonging to him.

Mr Newton and Ms Slater were reported missing on February 15 after they failed to return from Ben Nevis.

A huge search was launched for the couple from Bradford, West Yorkshire, but was eventually called off after rescuers triggered a series of avalanches.

However, their tent was found near the Charles Inglis Clark memorial hut (CIC) on the Ben and Ms Slater's car was found in the North Face Car Park.

Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team had vowed to continue looking for the couple until they found them and had spent hundreds of man hours in the search. A drone, search dogs and rescue helicopters were all used.

Rescuers had warned it could take weeks for the thick snow to thaw to reveal the couple's last resting place - and so it proved.

It had been feared from the beginning that the pair had been buried by an avalanche.

Last night Police Scotland said in a statement:"Following a report from a member of the public, the bodies of a man and a woman have been recovered in the Ben Nevis area this evening. Formal identification is taking place and the families of missing climbers Rachel Slater and Tim Newton have been informed."

Ms Slater's parents Nigel and Rosemary- both experienced climbers who had flown from their home in Canada since news of their daughter's disappearance - and Mr Newton's father Chris have gone up to the CIC hut to see what confronted searchers.

Mr Stevenson said they had promised the couple's families that they would keep looking for Ms Slater and Mr Newton. The families are believed to be heading to Lochaber for formal identification. Ms Slater's parents are currently elsewhere in the UK.

Seasoned climber Ms Slater was a graduate of Manchester University and employed as an environmental consultant near Bradford.

She spent some time living and climbing in Canada, where her parents are still based.

Mr Newton, originally from Leicester, studied physics at Manchester and Leeds universities.

He joined Hinckley Mountaineering Club in Leicestershire in 2010 before he moved away to university, with fellow climbers there calling him a natural.

Their families have previously praised the overwhelming response from members of the public and the climbing community in helping to search for them.