THE FAMILY of a man who went missing nearly 12 months ago have submitted an application to have him formally presumed dead.

Edward Machin, 39, from York, disappeared after it is believed he travelled by train to Scarborough on January 23 and then caught a taxi to Bempton on the East Coast, near the RSPB nature reserve, Bempton Cliffs.

He was reported missing by his family after failing log-on to a prearranged webchat with a friend at the weekend and then failed to return to work on Monday morning.

At the time, police conducted house-to-house checks, along with searches by volunteers and rescue officers.

This week, a public notice was posted in local newspapers which applied to the High Court of Justice for a declaration of the presumed death of Mr Machin, and urged anyone with information about his whereabouts to notify the authorities as soon as possible.

Mr Machin is white, 5ft 4in tall, slim and with dark brown hair and blue-grey eyes. When he was last seen he was wearing a dark jacket, light shirt, jeans and brown shoes.

Anyone with information should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 or write to: Bristol Chancery Division High Court of Justice, 2 Redcliffe Street, Bristol, BS1 6GR as soon as possible.