The family of a former regional press journalist missing in Thailand since the Boxing Day tsunami say they are still hopeful that he will be found safe and well, and are doing all they can to trace him.

Barry Michael Lloyd-Jones, a former deputy editor of the Western Mail who has also worked for the Birmingham Post and Mail, had been staying in Khao Lak in a beach-front hotel with his wife when disaster struck.

Kath Lloyd-Jones was found alive on Wednesday, but the family have so far been unable to contact father-of-three Barry, whose son Nigel has flown out to Thailand to try and find the 68-year-old.

His driving licence was found on Monday, but it is understood that he wasn’t carrying the document when the tsunami struck.

Son-in-law Derek Banks said: “Nigel has been visiting hospitals trying to find his dad.

“As time goes on it is difficult to hold out hope, but what we’ve been trying to do over the past eight or nine days is to try and get information about the people who are unconcious or unidentified.

“We’ve also been trying to create awareness in case anyone who has come back from the area has seen him.

“Barry is the bad penny that always turns up.”

During a successful journalism career, Barry, who received a Journalist of the Year award in 1972, edited the Sheffield Morning Telegraph.

He has also been news editor of the Birmingham Post, and deputy editor of the Birmingham Evening Mail and Western Mail, and later set up the Barry Gem.

Now semi-retired, he has recently lectured in journalism in Berlin.