THE search for a missing North-East student has led to clothing being discovered in Cumbria woodland, it emerged today (SUNDAY).

But Cumbria Police said they were still keeping an open mind and could not yet confirm whether the pair of jeans and socks belonged to missing Teesside man Matthew Jordan, who disappeared from Bowness, Cumbria, in the early hours of March 27.

The items were found separately in woodland about two miles from Bowness, near Windermere, and are being checked by officers.

They were understood to have been wet but were not on the shoreline of the lake.

About 80 people - many family and friends from the North-East – turned up to help in a huge search party around the Windermere area on Saturday, when the clothes were found.

The search was continuing today (Sunday, April 6) But Detective Inspector Furzana Nazir said she could not “speculate too much” about how significant they were to the investigation.

While Mr Jordan was wearing jeans on the night he went missing, it has not yet been established whether they belong to him. They have been sent for forensic tests.

The 20-year-old Teesside University student, from Nunthorpe, near Middlesbrough, was out with friends in Bowness when he was last seen.

A statement from Cumbria Police today (SUNDAY) said: “Yesterday, many people volunteered their time to help. Everyone who turned up asking to be involved in the search were tasked by police officers and they spent many hours in the cold and wet weather searching residential and rural areas.

“Some items of clothing were found outside the initial identified police search area. Police are yet to confirm whether these belong to Matthew or not. However the search is continuing in this and other areas.”

Det Insp Nazir said: “The family has also identified further areas they want to concentrate on and police will assist them in searching those areas which are further away from Bowness, and areas that police search teams have not identified as risk areas, but that we’ll look at.

“The family are still continuing to look for Matthew and are being supported by a family liaison officer.”

She thanked search volunteers for their help in the bad weather.

Police still want to speak to anyone that may have been travelling along Rayrigg Road, in the early hours of March 27.

Mr Jordan is described as 6ft tall, of medium build, with dark brown hair. He was last seen wearing a navy long-sleeved shirt, jeans and grey pull-up boots.