THE search has been stepped up for a man missing since the weekend.

Police are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of 36-year-old Mark Barnes.

He was last seen on Sunday morning in the garden of his home in Norwich Avenue, Southend, but has not been seen since.

Coastguards launched a search on New Year’s Eve while the police helicopter has also been scouring the local area in a bid to find him.

A spokesman for the force said: “While many people are recovering from their New Year celebrations, Mr Barnes’s family are desperate to understand why he has disappeared and where he is.

“Officers spent New Year’s Eve with his parents, establishing the type of life he led and friends he had recently been in contact with.

“During the next 24 hours, they will continue to examine his lifestyle in a bid to identify any potential reasons which explain his disappearance.”

Mr Barnes was reported missing by his mother on Monday afternoon after he was last spotted by a neighbour in his garden the day before.

Mr Barnes, who works as a Waitrose sales assistant, is white, of medium build, approximately 5ft 8ins tall and has dark brown hair. He is believed to have left home on a mountain bike.

Police are hoping to trace the black and grey Giant mountain bike.

Anyone with information should call Essex Police on 101, or 999 if they see Mr Barnes.