FAMILY and friends of a Wiltshire man missing in Ibiza have jetted out to Spain to help search and rescue teams look for him.

The 112 emergency services in the Balearic Islands activated a search on Tuesday after 24-year-old Ben Garland went missing.

Mr Garland, of Frome Road, Trowbridge, disappeared in the Portinatx area of the municipality of Sant Joan de Labritja (Ibiza).

Rescue workers believe the deckhand may have fallen into the sea following Storm Gloria while visiting the coast on his Harley Davidson motorbike.

They think he may have been swept away by rough seas after the violent storms which recently hit Spain.

His father Mark Garland, 54, and younger brother Jake Garland, 22, plus his two sisters, Charlotte,36, and Leanne, 34, and two of Ben's friends, Tom Eggleton and Tyler Munn have gone out to Ibiza to help rescue services look for him.

Mr Garland, a First Bus bus driver, said: "We are all extremely concerned. The longer this goes on the more worried I will get.

"Ben has been missing for some time now since Tuesday. I am preparing myself for the worst."

The family and friends flew out to Barcelona in Wednesday evening and arrived in Ibiza today. Three more of Ben's friends are due to arrive today. They are Rory Larsen-Barker, Jamie Steer and Matthew Tanner.

Worried friends and family have posted messages and his photo on social media and one of Mr Garland's former First Bus colleagues, Anthony Dennison, has launched a £2,000 justgiving appeal to help find him.

His uncle Kirk Garland wrote on Facebook: ‘My nephew Ben Garland has been missing for over 18 hours. Please everybody pray for him to be found safe and well.’

He later added: ‘Please God let Ben Garland be found safe and well.’

Mr Garland said his son had returned to the UK on Friday to take his driving test and then returned to Spain immediately after passing it.

He added: "Everybody here has been absolutely amazing. I have had the mayor shake my hand and the police are out looking for Ben with dogs, a helicopter and drones.

"A coastguard vessel arrived yesterday but was unable to get close in because of the rough seas."

Mr Garland is a former pupil of St Laurence School in Bradford on Avon. He studied engineering at Wiltshire College.

He travelled to Spain in April last year to look for work as a crew member on boats in the Balearic Islands.

The northern part of Ibiza has been lashed by Storm Gloria, which has caused an intense swell that has led to the cancellation of all maritime connections from the island.

Mr Garland is one of the crew members on a boat which docked in the port of Ibiza. After the storm subsided, he went out on a tour of the island on his motorcycle.

The alert was raised by the boat’s captain who called the emergency services when Mr Garland did not return. His bike was found in Cala Portinatx.

The search is being carried out both by land, with agents of the Civil Guard, Civil Protection and local police, and by sea, with a Civil Guard vessel.

The Foreign Office has issued a weather warning for any Brits travelling to or living in Spain.

Because of the weather, Catalonia’s regional government ordered a ban on all outdoor activities in the Girona, Barcelona and central Catalonia regions.

To donate to the Ben Garland appeal fund, go to www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/anthony-dennison-1. The fund has already raised over £2,500.