Police have scoured the coastal waters around Peterhead after clothing was spotted which may be linked to the disappearance of a north-east man a week ago.
Ruairidh Sandison, 24, vanished after a night out last Saturday, and was last seen around 4.20am on August 10 in the Gadle Braes area of Peterhead.
Officers have subsequently found CCTV evidence of him in the same area around 5.10am. However, he has not been seen or heard from in the intervening period, despite the release of leaflets and posters, a Facebook campaign and and multi-agency searches.
On Thursday night around 8pm, an item of clothing was seen in the water which sparked a specific search.
Peterhead Inspector, George Cordiner, said: “Yesterday evening, an item of clothing was sighted in the water off the coast of Peterhead which was of interest to us, and searches have been ongoing to recover this item.
“At this stage, it is far too early to confirm whether or not this clothing is connected to Ruairidh, but we obviously need to keep an open mind.
“It has been one week since Ruairidh went missing and I know it is extremely frustrating for his family and friends not knowing exactly where he has gone.
“We continue to keep in close contact with them and have a significant team of officers dedicated to doing everything they can to establish what has happened to him.
“Coastline and water searches have also been continuing this week and I would like once again to thank our partners including the coastguard and RNLI.
“The assistance we receive from both organisations is invaluable.
“I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of all of Ruairidh’s friends and family who have been dedicating so much time and effort to finding him.”
Searches have been led by Peterhead Community Policing Team with assistance from specialist resources including search advisers, the dive and marine unit, air support and the group trained in using Police Scotland’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems.
Mr Sandison is described as being around 5ft 11in, of slim build and with ginger hair.
When last seen, he was wearing a light grey knitted jumper, a pastel yellow t-shirt with black graphics, black jeans, white trainers and clear glasses.
On the search’s Facebook page, Mr Sandison’s family released a statement praising everyone who has taken part in the search efforts.
It stated: “We would like to thank everyone for their fantastic support and hard work.
“Thank you to the 80-plus volunteers who came to search last night and also to Score and Asda for providing supplies.
“It helps us so much to know so many people care about our amazing boy. Thank you.”
The Buchan Coastguard also made a statement about the search on Thursday when the Peterhead coastguard team and the RNLI Fraserburgh Lifeboat assisted police.
They also took time to thank public search organisers for “doing so in a responsible and safe manner”.