The parents of a man whose disappearance sparked a big search by emergency services have appealed for help to trace the woman who found their son.

Jack Spring, 29, of Johnsons Way, Greenhithe, had been out with friends at the Pier Hotel in High Street, Greenhithe, on Easter Monday.

He was reported missing hours after leaving the pub alone just before 8.40pm.

His disappearance was said to be out of character, prompting police to scramble their helicopter and issue a full-scale media appeal.

Volunteers from Lowland Rescue, who are called out directly by the emergency services when they require specialist resources, were also spotted in the area.

But it was thanks to social media that Jack was found in the Temple Hill area of Dartford, safe and well on Tuesday afternoon.

A stranger, who had seen the appeal to find him on Facebook, recognised him sat there and raised the alarm.

His father James said: “I just want to ring her up and thank her. I cannot fault the response that we got – it was far better than we expected.

“I cannot praise Kent Police enough. He just went walkabout and they thought he was in the river. Luckily, it turned out OK.”

He said his son had run out of medication he was on and that, coupled with a tough time emotionally, may have triggered his son’s ‘walkabout’, of which he had no recollection.

James’s wife, Christine – step-mum to Jack since he was two after his mother died – said Jack did not remember anything.

She said: “As long as he is back safe, that’s all that matters.

“Kent Police, I really thank them for what they have done. I don’t know why people run them down. I praise them 100%.”

If you know who found Jack, contact his parents on 01322 386697 or call the newsroom on 01474 564327.