THE FAMILY of a keen hiker who went missing on the North York Moors are appealing to walkers in the area to be vigilant as they desperately await news.

Kieran Chapman, 38, from Scarborough, was a passionate and experienced hillwalker according to his family.

But on December 2 police were alerted to the fact that Kieran Chapman’s red Volkswagen Polo had been parked in a carpark near Harwood Dale Forest since Friday, November 27, and nobody had returned to it in that time.

Officers say the last known sighting of him was at 6.30am that morning (November 27) when he dropped off a colleague on Burniston Road carpark in Scarborough.

Inspector Mike Fenton, from North Yorkshire Police, said they were working with a nationally accredited police search advisor and police underwater search specialist had this week scoured local waterways and bogs.

He said the area - which includes dense woodland and boggy, water-logged terrain - had involved specialist police searchers, aided by Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue and the RAF’s mountain rescue team, as well as police air support and police dogs.

Kieran’s brother, Steven Chapman, from Bradford, said he was concerned the first search had been initially stood down after three days, but was grateful for the renewed activity currently ongoing.

Steven is now urging anyone visiting the North York Moors, particularly around Fylingdales, Ravenscar and Goathland, to be vigilant and report anything that may be of use to police.

Mr Chapman said his brother was interested in stone cairns and other ancient constructions and may have left an established path to find one.

“We’re worried he may have seen some kind of cairn maybe a couple of hundred yards away and may have fallen down a mine or got into trouble in a boggy area of the moor,” he said.

Steven Chapman said he and the rest of Kieran’s family were putting Christmas on hold until they received some news of him.

“We haven’t put any Christmas decorations up; my brother is lost on the moors somewhere,” he said.

“Christmas Day he was supposed to be spending with my mum and sister. Christmas is postponed until we have some news.”

Inspector Fenton said they were still keen to hear from any friends or colleagues who Kieran may have mentioned any plans or walks for the coming days.

He said: “There’s a huge amount of walks both authorised and non-authorised walks in that area. Anybody with any inkling with which walk he may have been doing, or anybody who might have seen him is asked to contact us.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101.