Drones and dogs in search for missing Ben Nevis climber

Drones and search dogs have been used in a search for a climber who was reported missing in Lochaber last week.

Concerns were raised for Brian McGillicuddy, 64, after he failed to return from a planned trip to Ben Nevis on Thursday.

It is believed he intended to walk to the mountain's Charles Inglis Clark (CIC) Memorial Hut and may have been attempting the Orion Face Direct route, one of the mountain's most difficult ice climbing routes.

Over the weekend, Search and Rescue Aerial Association - Scotland drone pilots joined mountain rescue team volunteers in searches of Ben Nevis.

McGillicuddy was last seen at about 04:00 GMT on Thursday in the area of Glasdrum Road in Fort William.

He is described as 6ft 1in (1.85m), of slim build, with short grey and white hair.

When last seen, he was wearing a white climbing helmet, a dark blue jacket, white jeans and blue and red gaiters.

Sgt Gareth Ford said: "Extensive searches, involving specialist resources, are ongoing despite challenging conditions.

"We are not sure of Brian's intended route, so I'm appealing to anyone who thinks they may have seen him, or someone matching the description, in the area on Thursday to come forward.

"Any information, no matter how small it may seem, could greatly assist our search teams."

Volunteers from Lochaber, Glencoe, Oban, Police Scotland and RAF Lossiemouth mountain rescue teams and Search and Rescue Dog Association (Scotland) have all helped carry out serarchs.

A coastguard helicopter has also been involved in the effort to find McGillicuddy.