A YORK man has paid tribute to his uncle whose body has been found in Crete, six weeks after he went missing on the holiday island.

Mick Calam, from Foxwood, travelled to Crete with his two cousins in early July to help search for Arthur Jones, who was last seen on the island on June 19.

Seventy-three year old Army veteran Arthur was Mick's late mother's brother, and lived in Denbigh, North Wales.

He had travelled to Crete for a holiday and was well used to walking alone. After six weeks of searches by both the Greek and Welsh police, his body was found on the remote Rodopou peninsula in the north west corner of the island earlier this week.

Mick said his uncle was found close to the sea shore, and is believed to have died on natural causes.

He added: "It's a sad time for the family. We expected this, but it's still a shock.

"Arthur died doing something he loved - walking and exploring - and we can take some comfort in that."

His uncle was a larger than life character well loved by his extended family in York, who visited often.

Mick added: "Arthur was always laughing, always smiling. He would make time for anyone. He loved his life in the Army, and he loved the officer cadet training he was involved with."

Mick was due to travel back to Crete later this month to help his cousins, Arthur's children, continue their searches. He has thanked both the Greek and Welsh police for their work to find his uncle, as well as the dozens of volunteers who have been involved in searches and hundreds of supporters all over the world who got involved with the social media campaign to find Arthur.

"The Greek community and the expat community out there have all been amazing," he said.

"People all over the world have shown their support, and we can take comfort from that and the fact that people cared about him."

Mick has also issued a plea to other walkers to always tell people where they plan to walk, so if the worst happens searches can be organised quickly.