THE FATHER of missing Skipton man Rory Johnson-Hatfield has appealed for help in mounting his own search of York's River Ouse, following the police's decision to call off their search.

But York Rescue Boat, which assisted police in searching the Ouse last week, has strongly advised against anyone making unassisted searches because of the dangers posed while it is in flood.

Doug Hatfield spoke out on the special 'Rory Johnson is Missing!' Facebook group set up after his 29-year-old son, of Skipton, disappeared during a night out in York in the early hours of Friday November 20.

He said: "The river search for Rory by the police has now ended and we have not yet been informed as to when or if it will be resumed.

"I would like to make an appeal to anybody that has a boat on the river Ouse in York that the family could use in order to resume this part of the search. Thank you in advance."

His appeal has met with offers of help, but others posted messages saying they were concerned about the potential dangers.

Dave Benson, chairman and director of operations for York Rescue Boat, responded by posting: "While this is an extremely difficult time, I would strongly advise people not to make unassisted searches of the river. Currently the river is at flood levels and even when the river goes down it will still pose many dangers for sometime after."

North Yorkshire Police said last Friday that very extensive searches of the river had been concluded and there was presently no reason to continue the search, although it would be resumed if further information allowed police to target a specific location.

A force spokesman said yesterday: “Extensive inquiries are continuing today.”