Fears are growing for a former journalist of the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication, who has been missing in the Scottish Highlands for the last five days.

Clive Dennier, 50, failed to show up for work at the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald in Grantown on Spey on Monday morning.

Police say they are anxious for his safety, as much of the UK struggles to cope with snow and sub-zero temperatures that could make it the coldest March in 50 years.

"Everything we know tells us that his disappearance is unexplained and totally out of character," said Northern Constabulary senior media officer Duncan Mckenzie.

Dennier lived in Bahrain and worked at the GDN as a reporter for three years over a decade ago. An avid walker, police believe he went hill walking during the weekend before he went missing.

But there is no information about where he may have gone, although he is known to enjoy walking in the Cairngorms as well as on the west coast.

Temperatures in the Highlands are currently around -5C.

 Mckenzie told the GDN no search had been initiated as police do not have information of his whereabouts and have been unable to trace his mobile phone as it is switched off.

"He was reported missing early Monday morning by his employer," he said.

"A search has to be initiated with intelligence about his whereabouts or a last known location and his vehicle has not been found.

"He is known as a walker to colleagues and is thought to have been taking a walk in the highlands but it is pointless to send out a helicopter to comb an area about the size of Belgium."

Instead police are focusing on finding Dennier's car, a silver Volkswagen Polo, as they seek a breakthrough in the case.

"The weather in the highlands can get as low as minus 25 but these days the temperature reaches around minus five degrees at night with snowfall in the higher hills," said Mr Mckenzie.

"It is below freezing so if he is out there it is not good, although people have gone missing in this kind of weather in the past and been found," he added.-TradeArabia News Service