Spanish authorities have launched an urgent search for a 70-year-old British pensioner who vanished without a trace from a holiday home.

Retired builder and locksmith Paul Daniel Strange, 70, disappeared on Thursday from the coastal town of Palomares in Almeria, where he had been enjoying a getaway at a friend's apartment.

The 'devoted' family man from Leigh-on-Sea was expected to begin the long journey back to the UK in his van that morning, but he failed to make contact, sparking an urgent police search.

Today, his frantic loved ones revealed a puzzling twist in the investigation, while a neighbour spotted Mr. Strange leaving the property, a friend who later entered the apartment discovered his computer and clothes had been left behind.

The distraught son of missing father-of-three Mr Strange, who is also named Paul, has issued a heartbreaking plea for information as the family faces an 'agonising' wait for news.

Speaking of the family's nightmare, he said: 'We're obviously extremely worried and have already contacted police in Essex who have been in touch with Interpol.'

He added that he understands British authorities have now made contact with Spanish police so they can 'begin searching' for the beloved pensioner.

'We just want him to get in touch with us if he sees this message.

'His phone was switched off on Thursday and the following day a message came up saying it was unavailable.

'It's extremely unlike Dad not to stay in touch.

'He drives down to Spain regularly to see friends so he knows his way around and when he makes the return journey he always rings my mum every few hours and relies on her to book somewhere for him to stay on the way.

'This time there's been nothing. He was due to leave his accommodation last Thursday to drive to Calais.

'He drives a silver Sprinter van which is about six or seven years old and has a picture of a Carp fish on the back.

'It's a UK-plated vehicle with the registration YE19 FAU. My dad's originally from east London so speaks with a London accent, and he's got a birth mark on his left temple.

'What we can't fathom is the fact that a neighbour saw him leaving the place where he was staying on Thursday which was the day he was due to start the drive home after arriving in Palomares on Good Friday.

'But when a friend got into the apartment to check up on him he saw he'd left belongings inside including a laptop and clothes.

'He had a small bag with money and his passport on him but the stuff he'd left are not the sort of things someone wouldn't take with them if they weren't planning on coming back.'

He added: 'My dad is a healthy, happy bloke and not someone with any reason to voluntarily disappear.

'This is obviously completely out-of-character and very worrying.'

Mr Strange's son and son-in-law flew to Spain last night.

His worried wife Diane said: 'They're flying to Alicante and then they're going to head to Palomeras to the apartment where he was staying.

'He'd left a glass of orange juice and biscuits on the table alongside a black top and his glasses.

'And he'd not locked the place up properly apparently.

'It's as if he'd just got up and walked out. It's so unlike my husband. We're all so worried.'

Palomares, located on the Almerian coast of Andalusia, is situated in a region renowned for its rich maritime heritage and diverse fishing opportunities. 

The town is nestled between the traditional fishing hubs of Garrucha and Villaricos, making it an excellent base for various angling styles.