THE family of a man who went missing during a night out in York almost fours weeks ago are backing two separate campaigns.

Rory Johnson-Hatfield's family want to raise £20,000 for York Rescue Boat, which has been involved in extensive searches of the River Ouse for the 29-year-old Skipton man.

They are also urging people to sign a petition calling on the Government to ensure waterways are fenced off in areas 'with a strong presence of bars and nightclubs'.

Rory went for a night out in York city centre four weeks ago this evening, staying at the Travelodge in Piccadilly. He was last seen in the early hours of Friday November 20.

Searches of the Ouse have been carried out by police and York Rescue Boat, with the latter planning to carry out another surface search on Saturday.

Rory's parents Liz Johnson and Doug Hatfield have praised the efforts of the volunteers who man the rescue boat, saying: "The work of these amazing people is carried out voluntarily, hoping to raise awareness of the danger of water and furthering safety on the River Ouse."

With a Just Giving appeal launched in aid of the boat having already raised £2,468 towards its £20,000 target, with 167 pledges and updates made, the parents said: " Please.. help us to help keep the fantastic work of these unsung heroes ongoing as they help us in searching for our boy. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

Dave Benson, of the rescue boat, said he was hugely appreciative of their fundraising efforts, which he had not expected. He said that if the money was raised, the money might be used to bolsters its prevention and safety awareness campaign and possibly to acquire sonar equipment to boost its search capabilities.

The e-petition to the Government says that in Leeds and York, there has been a high number of deaths due to people falling in to the rivers after consuming alcohol, adding: "More pressure needs to be placed on councils to protect its people from accidental falls in to rivers where the sale of alcohol has been granted."

More than 5,000 people have already signed the petition, which says that 10,000 signatures will lead to the Government giving a response to its demands and 100,000 will lead to the matters being considered for debate in Parliament.

Liz and her family have posted a message on the Facebook group, Rory Johnson is Missing!, saying: "Please everybody on Rory's wall, can you sign the petition for Parliament, so we can make the River Ouse and the River Foss safer for everybody who is in York."