Fears grow for missing man, 61

9:31am Friday 23rd December 2005

FEARS are growing for a missing Melksham accountant who has not been seen since Friday.

A major search was carried out on Friday night after reports that a man, believed to be Norman Vincent, may have fallen from the Second Severn Crossing.

Mr Vincent, 61, has worked at Berkeley Hall Chartered Accountants, in Market Place, for the past 30 years. He is married to Deborah and lives in Station Road, Chiseldon.

A police helicopter and search rescue teams scoured the water after reports someone had fallen into the river just after 4pm.

Friends of Mr Vincent said he is loved by everybody'.

Julia Goodway, who had worked with Mr Vincent for just over a year at the chartered accountants, said: "He is full of fun when he is his normal self and is loved by everybody here. We are all stunned, it is very hard to take in and we are all devastated. He is very popular in the office and loved by everybody."

Three land-based search teams from Chepstow, Portishead and Sharpness took part in the search, which lasted nearly three hours.

A Gwent Police spokesman said a member of the public called them at about 4.12pm to report the sighting.

Severn Area Rescue Association's Chepstow station chairman Lloyd Bowden said the rescue boat searched the waters below the bridge for more than two hours before standing down. "We carried out an extensive search of the waters beneath. We believe someone climbed on a rail and possibly jumped or fell."

Gwent Police said a car, believed to be Mr Vincent's, was left on the bridge and they are investigating the incident.