THE distraught sister of a missing York man has made an emotional plea for him to get in touch.

Raymond Stead, 61, of Nunthorpe Road, was last seen with an acquaintance in the Bishopthorpe Road post office on Tuesday, when he cashed his invalidity benefit cheque.

His sister, Pauline Thompson, of Anderson Grove, York, fears the worst after learning her brother left a note asking for his belongings to be disposed of.

Mrs Thompson said her brother, a former Rowntree production worker who suffers from chronic arthritis, had severed all links with his family more than 20 years ago for no apparent reason. The note he left after his disappearance on Tuesday mentioned that he might go to see his sister.

Police have also put out and appeal for information.

She said: "I desperately want him to get in touch with me. I want him to know that the door is always open and he is always welcome. I'm worried about where he is and what he is doing. No matter how bad he thinks things are, he should come and see me. I would love to see him."

Mrs Thompson, who has three children and five grandchildren, said her brother had always been close to his family before he suddenly split from them.

She said the family had tried unsuccessfully to re-establish contact with him.

"He just seemed to want to be on his own. He became a bit of a recluse. I think he lived alone and hardly ever came out of his flat, by all accounts," she said.

Mr Stead is described as thin, about 5ft 7in tall, with a pale complexion. He speaks with a gruff voice, is balding and was last seen wearing a grey anorak and trousers.

Updated: 12:30 Saturday, April 21, 2001