Parents of a Chesham backpacker travelling through Indonesia fear their son may have been been caught in the bomb blast which ripped through a Bali nightclub.

John Beaumont, of Nalders Way, planned to pass the exotic island on his way to East Timor. He last contacted his parents, Deryck and Ann, four days before the terrorist attack.

The 30-year-old was due to leave Menado on the nearby island of Sulawasi last Thursday, where a bomb was detonated outside the Philippines embassy on Saturday, the same time as the one in Bali.

Deryck Beaumont has contacted the foreign office and posted a message on an official Indonesian website, and said he was desperate for news of his son.

He said: "We haven't heard anything since we received an email from John on October 10. He said he was leaving Sulawasi and was planning to make his way down to East Timor. He should have got there by Wednesday but we have heard nothing.

"We would expect to hear from him, especially after the attack in Bali. It's difficult to think about anything else and we're worried sick. Everything is crossed. We just hope he's safe."

John Beaumont, an experienced traveller, is enjoying a second tour of Asia. He was in Japan in June for the football World Cup.

His dad said: "He loves travelling and visiting new places. He's encountered difficulties on trips before but always come through. I know what backpackers are like - they meet new people and suddenly their itinerary changes.

"You expect them to be in one place when unbeknown to you they're somewhere else. We hope that's the case here. That he's somewhere where he can't reach us or he doesn't know what's happened."

Chesham-born John spent three years working to earn money for this trip.

If you have any information regarding John's whereabouts, please email annandel@hotmail.com