Remains found on Berwickshire shoreline

STV
Matthew Dyet: Police said he was well known as a busker

Human remains have been found washed up on the seashore in Berwickshire.

It is thought the remains could belong to a busker who vanished nearby more than a year ago.

Matthew Dyet, 59, was last seen on CCTV walking his dog, Jack, outside a supermarket in his home town of Eyemouth. The remains were spotted by a kayaker at nearby St Abbs Head on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Dyet was well known in the Killies area of Eyemouth and used to busk in Berwick-upon Tweed and Galashiels, as well as other towns.

The retrieved bones will be taken away for DNA analysis to establish the identity of the body. Forth Coastguard and the RNLI were involved in the recovery operation.

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said only that inquiries were "at a very early stage".

Officers investigating the disappearance of Mr Dyet released video footage on the first anniversary of his last sighting at the supermarket. That was at 5pm on Tuesday, February 17, 2009, and since there has been no trace despite a search of the Berwickshire coastline at the time.

Mr Dyet's dog was found later on in the day he disappeared, in the back garden of his home. Foul play was not suspected and there were fears at the time Mr Dyet may have been lost at sea as he had failed to make contact with relatives and friends. The dog has since been found a new home.

Police used the anniversary to insist that the case was not closed and issued a renewed appeal for information.

At the time Inspector Janice Etherson said: "This is by no means a closed case, and it is disappointing to have no new leads, one year since Matthew Dyet disappeared. His disappearance is very much out of character, but there have been no more confirmed sightings since last February, despite extensive investigation and media coverage.

"This case will not close until we can provide some answers for Mr Dyet's family and friends. He was well known locally as a busker, so we are trying to jog people's memories today to find out if anyone has any more information that could be helpful to us.

"We won't give up hope of finding out exactly what happened a year ago, and will continue to do all we can until we do."