THE discovery of a man in a makeshift den after a huge search of the countryside is being linked to the disappearance of teenager Jenny Nicholl.

Mountain rescue volunteers with tracker dogs were brought in to search countryside around Hudswell, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, on Friday evening.

The hunt continued throughout the night and the man was eventually found in a crudely constructed den in a field between Hudswell and nearby Downholme at about 8am on Saturday.

The middle-aged man was taken to the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, suffering from hypothermia.

It is understood he had been spotted in the Hudswell area on Friday.

Rescue volunteers were told by police they feared he might harm himself.

Last night, North Yorkshire Police refused to comment on what prompted the search for the man, other than to say the incident was connected to an ongoing inquiry.

But The Northern Echo understands the man has been questioned about the disappearance of 19-year-old Miss Nicholl.

She was last seen at her home in Richmond, on June 30. Her white Rover 214i was found four days later in the car park of the Holly Hill Inn, on the outskirts of the town.

Police have conducted searches of fields and woodland around Richmond, including in the Hudswell area.

House-to-house inquiries have also been carried out.

The search for the man was co-ordinated by Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team (SMRT). Tracker dogs and handlers were brought in from Teesdale and Cleveland rescue teams on Friday night.

Extra search and rescue volunteers from Cleveland, Cumbria and Teesdale joined the search on Saturday.

Paul Titcomb, of SMRT, said: "The man's condition was very serious and he would almost certainly not be alive today were it not for the work of SMRT."

On Friday, police spoke to music fans at a Darlington Festival event in the town's Market Square in the hope that they could shed light on the teenager's disappearance.

Miss Nicholl is a keen guitarist and played in a local rock band several years ago.

Last week, senior officers vowed to continue the search for Miss Nicholl.

Detective Inspector Pete Martin said: "A month on, we remain fully committed to finding her safe and well and successfully, ending this difficult investigation."

The teenager's parents, Brian and Ann Nicholl, have previously spoken of their distress and have urged anyone with information about their daughter's whereabouts to call police on (01423) 539334.