A FATHER-of-two who sparked a nationwide alert has turned up alive and well nearly seven months since he disappeared from his North-East home.

Police called up rescue teams and tracker dogs after Ian Richardson vanished from his home in Bertha Street, Ferryhill, County Durham, last August.

Mr Richardson, 55, sang happy birthday to his 25-year-old daughter over the phone then said goodbye to his wife Jennifer. He told her he was going for a job interview at the nearby Spennymoor Job Centre - but never arrived.

Mr Richardson had been spotted outside the Eldon pub, in Ferryhill, the same afternoon but the trail soon went cold.

Police called in the Teesdale and Weardale search and rescue team and hundreds of posters of the missing man were also distributed throughout the area.

As days turned into weeks and weeks became months police had almost given up hope of solving the mystery - until last Friday when Mr Richardson turned up as suddenly as he had disappeared.

Police said Mr Richardson - who has two children, Jillian and Martin - had spent the past six months living in hostels around the country.

He has told his family that he felt depressed because he had been unemployed for a long time. A medical check-up showed he had not suffered any ill effects from his time away.

Sergeant Kelvin Vincent, who co-ordinated inquiries into Mr Richardson's disappearance, said: "We are grateful to all those who have assisted the police.

"We are asking anyone who still has one of the posters to dispose of them now that Mr Richardson has returned."