A man whose personal belongings were found on a pier was still missing, say police.

Officers have been in close contact with relatives of David Brannigan, 35, of Cockermouth, who was last seen on Friday night.

In an attempt to trace Mr Brannigan’s movements since then, officers have quizzed taxi drivers in Workington, where some of his belongings were found.

Police have also appealed for people in the Workington and Cockermouth areas to phone-in with any information about possible sightings of Mr Brannigan.

A major sea and land search operation was launched on Sunday morning after Mr Brannigan’s wallet, mobile phone and jacket were found by two fishermen beside the C2C building at the end of the stone pier in Workington.

Sergeant Ian Jackson, who is leading the search for Mr Brannigan, said: “We’re just concerned. The circumstances and the location [of his belongings] could suggest that he’d gone into the water.”

Mr Brannigan was described as white, of medium build, 6ft tall, with cropped, light brown hair. He has tattoos on both arms, a finger and an ankle.

Sgt Jackson added: “We’re in close liaison with his family for any possible clues as to what he might have done, or where he could be.

“They’re at a loss as well. We’re keeping in touch with them to see if anything comes to light.”

The search has continued for Mr Brannigan, with officers searching beaches and coastal car parks for a distance of about 15 miles from Workington Docks to Mawbray.

Police officers are carrying out inquiries to see if anyone in Cockermouth and the Workington area can provide information of any sightings of MrBrannigan between Friday night and early Monday morning, when his belongings were found.

“We’re just trying to fill in the gaps of his movements,” said Sgt Jackson.

“We’ll continue with all lines of inquiry to try and establish that he’s still moving around and functioning, whether it be here or somewhere else.

“We just want to know he’s safe and that’s the concern.”

Drones were used to search the surrounding area and fishermen were asked to keep an eye out for anything unusual in the water.

“We’re trying to get as many eyes and ears on the ground as possible to feed us information,” said Sgt Jackson.

Lifeboat and Coastguard rescue teams from Workington, Silloth, Maryport, Whitehaven and two E.ON windfarm boats searched for Mr Brannigan for six hours on Sunday between Harrington and Silloth.

“During our routine patrols, we’ll keep an eye out and check areas known to Mr Brannigan ,” said Stuart Atkinson, the Coastguard manager for Cumbria.

He added that if any members of the public found anything suspicious in the water, they should call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

If Mr Brannigan sees this appeal, he is asked to let police know of his whereabouts so they can check he is okay. He will not be in any trouble. Anyone with information about Mr Brannigan or his whereabouts since Friday can contact police by calling 101.