A FATHER missing for ten months may have been spotted on a bus in Middlesbrough, his family said last night.

Paul Kerrison sparked one of Cleveland Police's largest manhunts last October when he vanished without trace after becoming separated from friends after a night out.

The 30-year-old's family have not given up hope in finding him, and their hopes have now been raised after an unconfirmed sighting of Mr Kerrison getting on a bus in Marton three weeks ago.

His sister Rebecca Kerrison said: "Three weeks ago a couple from Crook were on the bus on the way to Redcar. They had got on at Middlesbrough and this man got on the bus at Marton and got off at Cleveland Business Park, near the police station.

"The couple got to Redcar, where my brother works in a pub which had some missing posters of Paul and they left their number and address because they thought it was Paul on the bus. We passed the details on to the police."

She added: "We can't give up hope and the hardest part is not crying, because if you cry you feel like you've given up on him.

"We bought an extra Christmas present for him in case he turned up.

"His son, Kieran, is only five and on his birthday he was about to blow out his candles when he burst into tears and said: 'I want my dad'."

She said her brother's 31st birthday is in a few weeks, on September 19.

Mr Kerrison, who lived with his mother and partner in Eston, near Middlesbrough, and needs daily medication for epilepsy, was believed to have been last seen in the area of Birkdale Road, New Marske, east Cleveland, on Saturday, October 25, 2014.

A huge manhunt using the Cleveland Police helicopter, sniffer dogs, specialist diving teams and Cleveland Mountain Rescue team was carried out at the time he went missing, with no success.

Since then there have been a number of appeals through local media, a national missing person's charity, social media and a leaflet drop to every house in New Marske.

Mr Kerrigan is about 6ft 4ins tall, medium build and has short brown hair.

When he went missing he was wearing a black Reebok tracksuit and black Nike training shoes.