A RETIRED police chief has spoken publicly for the first time of his hope that answers could still be found to the baffling disappearance exactly 25 years ago of a Keighley barber.

Malcolm Berry left his shop in the summer of 1991 for a two-week break in Spain, but was never seen nor heard from again.

Despite extensive police investigations and public appeals here and overseas, no trace was ever found of the 56-year-old.

More than £150,000 remained untouched in his bank account and he left a string of properties across the town.

Ukelele-playing Mr Berry had pinned-up a note in his Drill Street premises to say he would return on August 27.

Detectives forced entry to his flat, above the shop, when he failed to reappear.

But they could find no clues to his whereabouts and it was never established if he had even boarded a plane, let alone reached Spain.

"It was one of the strangest mysteries from my whole 30-year career in the force," said Tony Hennigan, who retired in 2001.

"It's something that will always remain with me.

"I park in Drill Street from time to time to call at a local shop and always glance across to where Malcolm Berry's place was and wonder."

Mr Hennigan, 65, who was a detective inspector at the time, says his own feeling is that the eccentric bachelor died.

But nearly a quarter of a century after his disappearance, hope remains of some answers.

"I firmly believe Mr Berry lost his life – either by accident or other means," said Mr Hennigan.

"The likelihood is it will remain a mystery for ever, but there is always a chance and a hope that some new information could come to light and the case may be resurrected.

"There have been massive developments over the years in DNA analysis, although that may not help in this case.

"But sometimes you can find new witnesses, or people who had information at the time – but for whatever reason didn't want to come forward – have a change of heart."

Mr Berry was officially declared dead in 2002.

There was a further twist to the mystery when it was discovered he had left a whopping £282,000 bequest from his estate to the Beamish open-air museum.

Mr Berry had a poster of the County Durham attraction in his shop, but had no connection with the museum.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said this week that any new information that came to light regarding the disappearance would be acted upon.

"The cases of long-term missing people are kept on a database at the policing district where they disappeared," he added.

"The circumstances of each individual's disappearance are reviewed periodically to establish whether there are any existing lines of enquiry which need to be followed up."