Darren Rees: Search for missing cockle picker ends after three days

Darren Rees was last seen picking cockles at low tide on Tuesday

The search for missing cockle picker Darren Rees on the Loughor estuary has been called off.

The 43-year-old was last spotted working at low tide in Machynys, Llanelli, on Tuesday afternoon. His disappearance sparked a full air and sea search.

The family have said they just want him "found and home where he belongs."

But Dyfed-Powys Police said on Friday the search for Mr Rees would be concluded.

The decision was reached after a meeting between HM Coastguard, a police search advisor, a police underwater search unit and a cockling community representative.

Ch Insp Chris Neve, said: "Whilst this is an extremely difficult decision to make, we are satisfied that we have done absolutely everything we possibly can to try and locate Mr Rees and his family have been informed of this decision."

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He said "extensive enquiries" had also been made in Llanelli since Mr Rees went missing.  

"The search for Mr Rees will now conclude and will consist of periodic patrols of the estuary by HM Coastguard," Ch Insp Neve said.

The force would continue with "intelligence led enquiries" in the coming days.

An HM Coastguard spokesman said: "The decision has been made to scale the search effort down pending further information."

A helicopter has been used in the search for Mr Rees

The area of coastline around Carmarthenshire and the Gower is popular with cocklers, with beds at Loughor, Penclawdd, and near to North Dock, Llanelli - near to where Mr Rees went missing.

Mr Rees's vehicle and boat were found at the car park near Machynys and taken away by police on Tuesday night.

The nature of the fast-moving tides around the Loughor Estuary mean the margins between returning safely and getting caught in the water are small.

Cocklers who work in the area have said leaving the bed as little as 10 minutes later than scheduled could prove dangerous as the tide comes in from three different directions.