Fears for British businessman kidnapped in Ecuador

Colin Armstrong founded North Yorkshire attraction The Forbidden Corner

A prominent businessman from North Yorkshire has been kidnapped in Ecuador, according to local police.

Colin Armstrong, 78, was abducted in the early hours of Saturday from a farm he owned near the city of Guayaquil, police in the South American country said.

Mr Armstrong, who also owns the Forbidden Corner visitor attraction in the Yorkshire Dales, is the president of Ecuadorean agriculture company Agripac.

The Foreign Office confirmed it was in contact with the Ecuadorean authorities "following the disappearance of a British man".

However, it did not name Mr Armstrong as the man involved.

A Foreign Office spokesperson added that its staff were supporting the man's family.

'Thoughts and prayers'

A spokeswoman for Forbidden Corner, a folly garden created by Mr Armstrong at his 500-acre Tupgill Park estate in North Yorkshire, told the BBC they were aware of the reports from Ecuador.

But they said they did not currently have any further information about what had happened.

She said: "The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Forbidden Corner are with the Armstrong family."

According to local media in Ecuador, Mr Armstrong was kidnapped at dawn on Saturday at a farm he owned in Baba in Los Rios province.

As many as 15 men entered the property dressed as police officers and took him away, reports suggested.

It was also reported that a Colombian woman, Katherine Paola Santos, who was believed to be Mr Armstrong's partner, was kidnapped at the same time.

There were no immediate details about the captors, the AFP news agency reported.

Analysis: Danny Savage, North of England Correspondent, BBC News

In the lower reaches of Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, there are few businesses better known than Forbidden Corner.

It is a beautiful garden with surprise water jets and hidden caves which has delighted children for years.

It was built by Colin Armstrong in the grounds of his home and is a very popular tourist attraction.

Mr Armstrong is very well known locally, but not often seen, as he spends most of his time managing his large agricultural business in Ecuador - something he has done for decades.

He does return to the UK at times and was back here entertaining a group of Ecuadoreans earlier this year.

He is popular with his staff, who are visibly concerned about the situation in Ecuador - although they know little more than what has been said by the authorities there.

Kidnappings common

Guayaquil is Ecuador's most populous city and is known as a gateway to Pacific beaches and the Galapagos Islands

A message from the Ecuadorean police on X, formerly Twitter, said officers were carrying out "operational and investigative work" in connection with the case.

The Ecuadoran Foreign Ministry has not yet commented.

Mr Armstrong was awarded the OBE and Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George for services to the British Monarchy in 2011.

He was a former UK honorary consul to Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, a voluntary role which involved supporting British interests and providing support to British nationals who found themselves in difficulty.

Kidnappings for ransom and robberies have become common in parts of Ecuador, including Guayaquil and its outskirts.

Most of the violence is attributed to the increasing involvement of local gangs with rival Mexican drug cartels.