A DISTRAUGHT mother from Dalton has called on her kind and caring son to let her know that he is safe after being missing for 13 days.

Josef Thompson, or Jo as he is known to his friends, grew up in Dalton from the age of 11 and went to Walney School and Barrow Sixth Form before leaving to do a degree in Fine Art Illustration at the University of Huddersfield.

The 22-year-old currently lives in the Aigburth area of Liverpool and commutes to university. He was last seen on Friday November 11 in a Tesco store in Aigburth Road.

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Police have since released family photographs and CCTV images of his last public appearance in an attempt to locate Mr Thompson.

His mother, Claire Beach, 48, of Chapel Street, Dalton, has been left distressed by her son's disappearance which she claims is "out of character."

She said: "Every day gets worse because the longer it goes on the more you start to think negative things. He wouldn't deliberately put people through this. He has never ran away or tried to get away when he is upset.

"He is kind and he cares about people a lot. He can be good fun but he is not incredibly outgoing, although he does have a really good group of friends who absolutely adore him.

"We hope that he is just clearing his head. Every time the door knocks we hope it's him."

Many of Mr Thompson's friends know him through a shared love of Psytrance music and according to Mrs Beach they have been instrumental in helping them launch a campaign to #FindJo on Twitter and Facebook.

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Mrs Beach, who last saw her son in September when he returned to Dalton for a week, wants everyone to know about his disappearance as she thinks he could be anywhere in the country.

Mrs Beach said: "We want to get the message out as far as we can. He has good friends all over the country and by circulating his name and pictures it keeps him in people's minds.

"Josef isn't in any trouble and neither is anyone who is with him - we just want to know that he is safe."

For a physical description of Mr Thompson and for information on who to contact if you think you have seen him, please CLICK HERE.