RELATIVES of a man missing off the coast of Australia flew out earlier this week to assist in a renewed search.

David Eason, a creative director at VB Communications in Baring Road, Beaconsfield, disappeared during an adventure holiday on Fraser Island where a nine year-old boy was recently savaged to death by dingoes.

The 46-year-old visited the island with a group of other tourists, and went missing on March 28 when the others went on ahead of him as he stopped for a cigarette.

Mr Eason's passport and tickets were left in his hotel, and his family said he was unlikely to go off alone.

The Australian authorities launched a search which was abandoned on April 3.

Janice Eason, Mr Eason's sister, said her husband and her brother were travelling to Australia to assist in a day-long search, which will form part of a training exercise for State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers.

The search was originally scheduled to last the whole of this weekend, but has been shortened to just Monday. The family says they will be pressing the authorities to restart a full-scale manhunt.

Ms Eason added: "We were very disappointed when the initial search was called off. The kind of search we need now is a foot search of the immediate area.

"We are very disappointed that the search will not go on all weekend."