THE son of a dementia sufferer who went missing more than a month ago said hopes of his father being found alive have "pretty much faded".

Gordon Beard, aged 79, disappeared from his home in Kestrel Drive, Loggerheads, at 10am on Tuesday, August 18, after telling his wife Florence he was going for a walk.

The Army and police carried out extensive searches with dogs and helicopters around Loggerheads and Woore in the days following his disappearance.

Officers combed Burnt Wood near his home, which was one of his favourite haunts, but uncovered no clues.

Police today said they have scaled down their search for the grandfather-of-two, pictured below, but are still encouraging people to report any possible sightings.

Mr Beard's son David, aged 61, who lives in Yorkshire, told The Sentinel, he was "fearing the worst".

He said: "I've been expecting the police to knock on the door and say they've found a body.

"It was a month on Tuesday since Dad went missing. It's a long time for anyone to be missing, let alone a 79-year-old man with dementia.

"My hopes have pretty much faded if I'm honest. The worst thing is not knowing if he's dead or alive. Part of me thinks he is no longer with us, but there's that little bit of hope that he could turn up.

"But you have to wonder what kind of state he might be in if he is alive. We think that the dementia was worse than we actually imagined.

"It's just a waiting game. We feel like we're in limbo.

"It's difficult for us all. Mum is trying to be brave, but it is hard to stay positive.

"If we never find out what happened to him we will never get any closure."

Mr Beard's other son Alan, aged 56, who lives in Wales, said: "As time goes on you lose more and more hope. Both David and I joined in the search and we've been taking it in turns to stay with Mum so she's not alone, but you can't help feeling a bit helpless."

Mr Beard, a retired mining engineer who was a former manager at Hem Heath Colliery, and a member of Market Drayton Golf Club, first developed symptoms of dementia a year ago.

A police spokesman said: "Officers have scaled back the search for Mr Beard. We've exhausted all possible leads and have had no fresh sightings.

"We are still continuing our appeal to the public to get in touch if they have any information."

Mr Beard is white, 5ft 9ins, well-built and has grey hair. He was last seen wearing a cream shirt, black trousers, walking boots and was carrying a walking stick.

Anyone with information should call Staffordshire Police on 0300 123 4455.