POLICE remain anxious to locate a missing man, who has not been seen since he is believed to have jumped into a fast flowing river.

Extensive searches of the River Wear and its banks in the area of Barker's Haugh sewage works in Durham have failed to find any trace of 21-year-old John Fisher.

He was with a friend in the area of sewage works when a police helicopter flew overhead, in the early hours of Monday morning.

Mistakenly fearing the helicopter was searching for them, Mr Fisher's friend went into the river and swam across to the other bank.

He later reported to police that Mr Fisher was planning to attempt to swim across further downstream, and shortly after he heard a splash, but saw nothing more of him.

Police have searched the river and its banks with sniffer dogs and divers, without success, since Monday. A police spokesman said last night: "We have now withdrawn the frogmen, they have done as much as they can at this stage, but we remain as anxious to find him as his family are.

Mr Fisher lives with his mother and younger brother, in Gilesgate, Durham.