THE parents of a young man who went missing a week ago have this morning made an impassioned plea for him to contact them.

Anthony Stammers was last seen by his mother last Sunday morning.

He lives in Mile End Road with his parents and police say his absence is causing them great concern as it is out of character for him to remain out of contact for any period of time.

The 27-year-old was expected to attend his grandfather’s funeral at Colchester Crematorium on Monday but failed to do so which was also unusual given his closeness to his grandfather.

In a statement released this morning, his parents Robert and Julie Stammers said: “Ant’s absence is causing us, the rest of his family and friends a great deal of concern and sadness. He has been low of spirits of late compounded by the loss of his grandfather.

“However, he was overcoming this with the support of his family and was looking forward to moving to Bristol to make a fresh start, living nearer to his brother. We plead with him to get in touch with us, if only to confirm that he is alright.

“If he wants to get on with life without us, then this is fine but of course we would welcome him home anytime.

“Right now, we just need to know he is safe and well. Please Ant.”

Ant is s white, 5ft 10 in tall, of medium build has short, dark-brown hair. He was clean-shaven but may have a beard by now. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a blue-and-red checked shirt, was carrying a black satchel and may have been wearing a black New York Yankees baseball cap and beige jacket.

Police have carried out searches of various areas in and around Mile End and the Colchester town area, with dog handlers being assisted by colleagues from the force’s Air Support Unit. Officers are also checking CCTV footage to see if Ant has been captured on camera.

Detective Inspector Stephen Jennings, said: “Ant’s disappearance is troubling to us as much as it is his parents and friends.

“We are doing a tremendous amount of work to find him with the array of capabilities that are at our disposal. We are working with other forces and asking them to circulate his picture and details just in case he has moved to their areas.

“We are also circulating flyers and posters in and around the Colchester area in a bid to jog people’s memories here.”

Anyone with information on Ant’s whereabouts is urged to contact investigating officers at Colchester police station on 101.