A DIG at an allotment site provided no further clues about a missing pensioner, police have confirmed.

Following a tip-off, officers dug up soil at Kenton Lane Allotments last Wednesday, searching for the body of 71-year-old Don Banfield, or for clues as to his whereabouts.

A police spokeswoman said: "We conducted a search of the site on at least four days and the result was negative."

Mr Banfield was last seen by a member of his family on May 13, 2001, leaving his home in Locket Road, Wealdstone.

The retired Trinidadian betting shop manager is black, of slim build with brown eyes, receding grey hair and is about 5ft 6in tall. He talks with a West Indian accent and has a tattoo of a heart on his left hand.

The Missing Persons Unit in Harrow began the investigation in 2001 and the 71-year-old's disappearance is still being treated as a missing persons enquiry.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Harrow Missing Persons Unit on 020 733 4335, or call the confidential National Missing Persons Helpline on 0500 700 700.