The parents of missing Sittingbourne man Matthew Green are hoping a new initiative could help them find their son.

Royal Mail is supporting the Missing People organisation by distributing ‘high risk’ alerts to its 124,000 postmen and women while out on their rounds.

Descriptions and photographs of missing children and adults will go to hand-held scanners, which are usually used to track and sign for deliveries.

They will also appear on its employee website and, where possible, on 1,800 TV screens across its offices, reaching all 148,000 staff. It the first time an organisation has made its business-wide communication channels available to the cause.

So far, 123,000 people are directly receiving Child Rescue Alerts, as well as other members of the public being informed of missing person appeals through Twitter, Facebook, digital billboards and media and corporate partnerships.

The Royal Mail scheme will effectively double this when it goes live on December 1.

Jim, 62, and Pauline Green, 61, spoke out in support of the partnership when they were interviewed about it on the ITV breakfast show Good Morning Britain last Thursday.

Matt was last seen at the family home in Rock Road at 8pm on April 8, 2010, when he told his parents he was going to stay with a friend in London for the weekend. When he did not return home, his disappearance was reported to the police.

His bank account has not been touched, and his passport has never been used.

Mrs Green said: “It’s a brilliant idea. It will raise awareness and I’m hoping it will help us find him.

“They [posties] are out there every day on the streets so there’s a chance they might knock on a door and he answers it.”

Jim added: “Our thoughts are always ‘Is he safe? Does he have a roof over his head?’”

The couple are preparing to spend their fifth Christmas without the self employed roofer, who would be 30 now.

She added: “It’ll be presents under the tree and a spare seat at the dinner table as usual but we have to go on.”