Helicopter search finds missing man (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Helicopter search finds missing man

POLICE said they feared for the safety of a 91-year-old man after he went missing from his home for more than four hours.

The pensioner from Huntington Rise, Bradford on Avon, left his home at 2pm on Monday for his daily dog walk but his wife became worried when he did not return home after an hour.

Officers were alerted at 5pm and the force helicopter was sent out, but after 40 minutes of an initial search, had to stop to refuel.

After heading out again, the helicopter crew used heat-seeking cameras to locate the pensioner, who was found lying on a bridleway near Ashley at 6.40pm.

Crewmember Charlie Spedding, who used the tracking equipment, said: "We were quite despondent in not finding him on the first search.

"As it was now dark and cold we feared for his life and were jubilant when we eventually located him. Thankfully he was okay.

"When we spotted him he was lying down and had tried to crawl along the tracks.

"We sat him up and he soon recovered so we didn't need to send him to hospital.

"He was a dear old chap and just wanted to go home."