AN international search was under way last night to find a North-East sports fan who vanished after flying to Greece to watch the Olympics Games.

Melvyn Gamblin, from Darlington, was last seen by staff at his Athens hotel on Friday, September 3.

He failed to board a flight back to the UK later that day and now his family say they are sick with worry.

His brother, Bryan, is concerned because Mr Gamblin suffers from blackouts, and fears he may have collapsed or become disorientated.

"It is my worst fear. He suffers from ME and when he has relapses he gets very tired and sleeps a lot.

"This can be brought on by doing too much, or a lot of excitement.

"Also, he occasionally faints or blacks-out. He has had this since he was a teenager, so we have considered the possibility that he has had a turn, came round from it, but has then been disorientated and not really sure where he is."

Mr Gamblin was officially reported missing to police in Darlington last week. Since then, officers have been in touch with Interpol, which is liaising with Greek authorities.

Assistance is also being sought from the Foreign Office in London.

Mr Gamblin, originally from Bristol, is an avid sports fan, a Middlesbrough Football Club season ticket holder, and has attended the past four Olympic games, as well as last year's Rugby World Cup finals, in Sydney, when England beat Australia.

His last message home was when he texted a friend after watching Great Britain take gold in the men's 4x100m relay on August 28, more than three weeks ago.

He arrived in Athens on August 9, checked into his hotel and watched numerous Olympic events he had booked, including athletics, cycling and rowing.

Throughout his stay, he kept in regular contact with friends and family, and also met up with a friend in Greece to watch some of the games.

Mr Gamblin, known as Melv to friends and family, was due to fly back to Luton Airport on September 3 on an easyJet flight and was then expected to visit London for a few days before meeting friends in Manchester.

A police spokesman said hotel staff saw him leave the hotel in Athens that day, but he never checked out and left several items of luggage in his room.

"There was no record of him boarding the flight to Luton or contacting anyone by phone, e-mail or text message," said the spokesman.

Mr Gamblin's family say his disappearance is out of character and are worried by the lack of contact.

The 37-year-old has lived in the centre of Darlington for three years. He cannot work because of his medical condition, but previously worked for the Environment Agency and ICI.

His brother, who lives in Edinburgh, said: "We are all worried sick about him. This is totally out of character for Melv and we cannot think what has happened to him.

"He was having a ball out there at the Olympics, so maybe he decided to stay out a bit longer, but it is very odd that he missed Middlesbrough's first ever European match last week.

"I know he was very excited about getting home for that match, so that's a real worry.

"Everything has drawn a blank at the moment. There is a lead to follow up at the hotel and we are waiting for the Greek police to do that.

"Also, the police here are looking at Melv's bank accounts and credit cards to see how they have been used, but it all takes time."

He added: "In my mind, he is still in Greece. We just want to know he is safe. It's not knowing that is the worst part, wondering what has happened. I have a permanent knot in my stomach and have done for the past week."

Anyone who has been in contact with Mr Gamblin in the past three weeks is asked to contact Darlington police on (01325) 467681.