FRIENDS of missing student Euan Coulthard marked the first week of his disappearance by handing posters to revellers.

In an effort to jog people's memories, friends gathered at Durham City’s Walkergate complex, close to the Loveshack nightspot, which Mr Coulthard left late on Wednesday, January 14,null

Despite extensive searches of the city, the River Wear and the riverside, Mr Coulthard, 19, a law student at Durham University’s St Mary’s College, has not been found.

There are fears that he may have fallen into the River Wear on his way home.

David Cameron has expressed his sympathy for the family of the missing student.

An online petition calling for safety improvements along the riverbanks has now passed 14,000 signatures and Durham County Council has promised a review.

Speaking on radio station Heart North-East, the Prime Minister said: "My thoughts are with Euan Coulthard's family first up, because this must be a very worrying time for them.

“But I think it is also concerning that this has happened before, and that's why I understand the strong feelings people have in the petition."

The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), the drowning prevention charity, has called for action to improve river safety.

Two other Durham students, Luke Pearce and Sope Peters, drowned in the River Wear in the past 14 months following nights out and three young people have died in similar tragedies in York.