The niece of a pensioner who has not been seen for over a week has issued a fresh plea for information after his 'out of character' disappearance.
Patrick Clark, 70, was last seen leaving a pub on Shore Street in Gourock at around 12.10am on Tuesday January 31. His family have described his disappearance as "completely out of character", and the incident has prompted locals to help with searches to find him.
Around 35 members of the community gathered in the town centre on Wednesday to carry out searches of the area in the hope of assisting the police operation to trace him. Patrick's niece Claire Murdoch said the support of locals had given the family a "million percent" boost.
She said: "The police still have nothing to go on, nothing at all, which is just frustrating. They've got all sorts of agencies involved and we have a family liaison officer looking after us.
"His bank card hasn't been used – he barely used it, only to take out cash as he worked in cash – nor has his bus pass. The last sighting we have is of the CCTV of him leaving the pub.
"It's completely out of character because he was never one to stay out late. He would go and have one drink of a low-calorie beer, because he wasn't a drinker, and he would nurse that all evening.
"He went to the pub for company. There's nothing else we can really say – we just wish there was that one wee snippet of information that might tell us where he has gone."
Police are understood to have completed a "500 metre search" – a deep scour of the immediate area half a kilometre out from where he was last seen – and are now extending their search out to around 850 metres. However, Claire hopes locals in neighbouring Inverclyde towns and in Ayrshire will keep an eye out for Patrick in case he has travelled further afield.
He recently travelled by bus to West Kilbride – getting on the wrong bus by mistake, his family believes – before being returned to Gourock by police. A Facebook group, Find Patrick Clark, has been established to coordinate further community searches.
Claire added: "I've come up from England to take part in the searches, and seeing everyone gathered to help was quite overwhelming. There was about 35 people, all asking when the next search is going to be.
"He's really well-known and a genuinely nice man, but he is very quiet and keeps to himself."
Police reissued an appeal for information on Patrick on Wednesday. Sergeant Paul MacPherson said: “Since Patrick was reported missing, we have been carrying out extensive searches and enquiries in the local area.
"Local officers, led by specialist search advisors have been assisted by resources including the air support unit. Despite these efforts and previous appeals, we have yet to trace him.
“We are continuing to speak to people who know him and who live locally who may remember seeing him. We have been liaising with public transport companies and reviewing CCTV from in and around the local area to gather any further information on where he went after the pub.
"This is a very upsetting time for his family as it is completely out of character for him to go missing and not keep in contact with them. Patrick is in poor health and we are all extremely concerned for his safety and wellbeing.
"“Patrick usually stays local to the Gourock area, however he has recently visited West Kilbride, and we are liaising with police colleagues in Ayrshire in case he may have travelled further afield. As our enquiries continue, I would again urge anyone who has seen Patrick since last Tuesday, or who has any information on his whereabouts to contact us as soon as possible."
Anyone with information can contact police on 101 with reference number 3371 of 31 January.
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