POLICE who have spent three weeks searching a tiny Greek island for a pensioner say they are hoping for luck in tracing him.

Russell Ward, of Stokesley, North Yorkshire, went missing on Thursday, June 14, after spending a night at the Apollo Studios Hotel, on Tilos, between Kos and Rhodes.

Local police deputy Achilleas Karamboutakis said the 76-year-old was last seen wearing walking boots and carrying a small rucksack at about noon, after phoning someone in the UK.

A maid at the hotel raised the alarm after Mr Ward failed to return to collect his belongings from his hotel room, which had been booked from June 13 to 17, while his wife, Jill, was visiting their daughter in Rhodes.

A hotel spokesman said Mr Ward appeared to be in fine health.

Mr Ward, who is particularly fit and a member of Stokesley Golf Club, is thought to have been on a walking holiday on the island, which is eight miles long and five miles wide. It is known for its historic castles, rocky coastal paths and mountainous interior.

Mr Karamboutakis said that after an initial search involving a helicopter and tracker dogs, three officers – the island’s entire force – had searched the island.

He said Mr Ward’s photo had been shown to everyone on the island and that there was no chance he was staying with any of the 533 Tilos locals and that he had not been registered as having left on a ferry.

Mr Karamboutakis told The Northern Echo: “We think he went out for a walk and was in okay health before he left the hotel.

“There are many walks on the island, some of them with steep sections and some of them long ones, but we have not found any clues as to where he is.

“There are photos of him all over the place – everything that could have been done, has been done. Now we are just hoping to be lucky.”

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said Greek authorities had contacted them, but they were leaving the investigation to their counterparts in Tilos.

The Foreign Office said it was helping Mr Ward’s family, who set up Facebook page Help us Find Russell Ward and Twitter account @findrussell