Police have rescued a North Yorkshire estate owner who was kidnapped from his home in Ecuador.

As The Press reported, Colin Armstrong, 78, was snatched from his ranch in Los Ríos in the early hours of Saturday (December 16), according to local media.

He is the former UK honorary consul in Guayaquil and owner of the Tupgill Park Estate in Coverham near Leyburn in the Yorkshire Dales.

Today (Wednesday, December 20) police in Ecuador confirmed that Mr Armstrong has been rescued and is “safe and healthy”.

César Augusto Zapata Correa, the general commander of the National Police of Ecuador, shared a photograph on X (formerly Twitter) of Mr Armstrong standing between two police officers with his arms folded, wearing a police baseball cap, navy jumper and dark tracksuit bottoms.

He said nine people had been arrested.

The police chief added that Mr Armstrong was being taken to Manabí, a coastal province in west Ecuador, with officers.

York Press: Colin Armstrong Colin Armstrong (Image: Tupgill Park Estate)

Local media reported that Mr Armstrong and a Colombian woman – believed to be his partner – were taken on Saturday.

He was driven away in his own black BMW, which was later found dumped, a police report seen by The Guardian said.

Friends and family 'delighted' with news and 'look forward to a happier Christmas'

A spokesperson for the Tupgill Park Estate told The Press Mr Armstrong’s family and friends, along with staff at the estate, were “delighted” with the news that he had been rescued.

“We can confirm that Mr Colin Armstrong has successfully been released and is currently with the police having interviews and then will be returning to his family in Ecuador,” they said.

“All of the UK family, staff and friends are delighted with the outcome and look forward to a happier Christmas.”

Chris Campbell, the UK's ambassador in Ecuador, said: "We are delighted that Colin Armstrong OBE, our former honorary consul in Guayaquil, has been safely released. Our thanks to the National Police of Ecuador for all their efforts to achieve Colin's release. Thank you."

Mr Armstrong runs an agricultural supplies company in Ecuador.

In the 1980s he designed the pleasure ground Forbidden Corner in the Tupgill Park Estate which is now open as a visitor attraction.

Mr Armstrong’s family has lived on the 500-acre estate since Victorian times.

He was Honorary Consul to Guayaquil until 2016.

An Honorary Consul is a voluntary position that is appointed based on their extensive knowledge of a region and an established network that enables them to support British interests and to provide support to British Nationals who find themselves in difficulty.