A retired Bradford police inspector who went missing while walking alone in the mountains of Majorca has been found dead.

The Foreign Office confirmed that the body of Peter Smiddy, who was on holiday with his partner Sheila, was found yesterday at around 7pm high in the mountains, by a helicopter search team. Mr Smiddy's relatives have been informed about the tragedy.

Police officers, mountain rescue workers, Red Cross volunteers, tracker dogs and a Guardia Civil helicopter had been trailing the mountains in Escorca - popular with hikers but regarded as treacherous by locals - for a week.

Humphrey Carter, a reporter at the Palma Daily Bulletin, said 65-year-old Mr Smiddy's body was found by a member of one of the rescue teams.

"It looks like he had started to make his way back to the resort where he was staying. The body was not found in the main search area but it was not far away."

An autopsy was expected to be carried out today to find the cause of death and arrangements made for the body to be flown back to Britain.

Mr Smiddy's partner last saw him alive when he left the Hotel Romantic in Puerto Pollensa last Monday at 10am.

He took a bus ride to the Escorca area of the island, situated between the towns of Lluc and Soller, and was due to return that afternoon. She raised the alarm the following morning when he failed to arrive.

The couple had returned to the resort after a holiday in the same area last year.

Mr Smiddy's son Andrew flew out to the island at the weekend.

The former police inspector was last based at Bradford Central police station in 1985.

He was described by colleagues as a pleasant and efficient officer.