THE son of a missing man who has not been seen for almost a month has made a heartfelt public appeal to find him.

Durham police are still searching for 59-year-old Brian I’anson who has not been seen on Thursday, September 14.

The grandfather-of-one, from Ferryhill, was last spotted at around 11.50am that day walking along the A167 between Ferryhill and Chilton.

He is known to walk from Ferryhill to Bishop Auckland through Kirk Merrington and Leasingthorne, and back again.

Son Brian, who lives in the Consett area, said his dad was well known throughout Bishop Auckland, Ferryhill and the surrounding area.

He said: “Dad has lived in the area for many years so he is well known throughout the community. “Dad is a very quiet man who keeps himself to himself. This is very out of character for him and we are desperate to know where he is.

“He likes to socialise in local clubs and pubs in Bishop Auckland and Ferryhill and does walk long distances, but always has a destination in mind.

“I’d urge anyone who may know anything about where Dad is to call the police and let them know – we just want to know where he is.”

Mr I’anson is described as being 6ft tall, of medium build with grey hair and stubble. He was believed to be wearing a dark three-quarter length coat and dark trousers when he went missing.

Detective Inspector Neil Jones said: “Brian spends a lot of time walking this route to meet friends and associates in Bishop Auckland – we’d urge any shopkeepers or owners of premises in this area that Brian may have visited to contact us.

“We would also like to appeal to anyone who knows him who has not yet spoken to us to get in touch.

“We are very concerned about Brian.

“Officers are carrying out extensive enquiries into his whereabouts and any information the public can give us, no matter how small, will be vital in piecing together a picture of where he may be.”

Anyone with information about Mr I’anson’s whereabouts is asked to contact Durham police on 101, quoting incident number 157 of September 19.