POLICE underwater teams are waiting to resume the search for missing Skipton man Rory Johnson-Hatfield, who went missing on a night out in York almost 11 weeks ago.

Rory, 29, a waiter at Brody's Pizzeria in Skipton, was last seen in the Piccadilly area of the city in the early hours of November 20.

Extensive searches of York's two rivers were made by police following his disappearance, but heavy flooding of the city and continuing heavy rains have hampered the investigation through January. The York Rescue Boat has also made several searches for Rory, whose movements after leaving the Travelodge hotel at about 12.30am were partially tracked on CCTV.

Rory's father, Doug Hatfield, a former restaurateur in Skipton, made an emotional plea for information about his son's whereabouts three weeks after he disappeared.

Speaking at the time, he said: "Rory is a wonderful and much-loved son and brother, and his natural ability to talk to anybody, young or old, with such ease, and make them laugh, makes me so very proud, because there are so very few like him. Nothing prepares you for a time like this and it's extremely emotional.

"I speak for all the family when I say there's a huge hole in our hearts that only the return of Rory can repair."

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: "The search for Rory is still going on. We would ask anyone with information to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101."