Major search operation launched following disappearance of Dumfries man

A major search operation has been launched following the disappearance of a Dumfries man.

Stephen Neil was last seen around 7pm on Saturday in the village of Ae. The 60-year-old is believed to be driving his old ‘L’ reg campervan, which has been painted matt black and has green wheels and trim.

The man is described as White, 5ft9 in height, has blue eyes and is balding with very short grey/white hair. It is not known what he is wearing.

Mountain rescue teams and a search helicopter are involved with the operation.

Inspector Lloyd Caven said: “We believe Mr Neil may have travelled in his campervan to the Galloway Forrest area. That is obviously a huge area to search, so to assist local officers, we have enlisted the help of local mountain rescue colleagues and the Force’s helicopter.

“We appreciate that the weather, road conditions and remoteness of the area is an issue, however, if anyone has been around there or has seen Mr Neil or his vehicle overnight or today, we’d ask that they contact police.

“Officers are checking CCTV, doing door-to-door enquiries, and have been liaising with various local agencies with regard to looking out for him.”

Those with information are urged to contact Police on 101 quoting incident number 0211 of Sunday, February 15.