A Twitter hashtag set up in the hunt for a missing student trended nationally after a regional journalist used social media to boost a huge public search in the Lake District.

Matthew Jordan, 20, of Middlesbrough, got separated from his friends on a night out in Bowness-on-Windermere during the early hours of 27 March and has not been seen since.

Westmorland Gazette reporter Ellis Butcher was on duty at the weekend, covering the story as around 80 people joined an unsuccessful search in Windermere and Bowness.

He also interviewed Matthew’s parents who made it known they desperately wanted holidaymakers, who had been in the Lakes but had now returned home, to be aware their son was missing.

Ellis used Twitter, Facebook and the newspaper’s own website to gain as much broad and immediate coverage as possible.

He said the move led to the Twitter hashtag #findmatthewjordan officially trending in the UK, resulting in more than 2,300 retweets-  including by the comedian Sarah Millican – from across the country.

The Gazette’s Facebook story was been seen by over 76,000 people and shared by 2,000 people.

Ellis said: “As well as running their interview on our website, I Tweeted the photograph I took of them holding his missing poster, the link to their story and the hashtag #findmatthewjordan through my own Twitter account and the paper’s.

“I also asked our Facebook readers to share the story and photo.”

The Gazette’s Facebook story was seen “from London to Northern Ireland and Manchester, which will all help achieve the parents’ aim of getting the message out further afield,” said Ellis.

He said: “This is a textbook example of how local newspapers can breakthrough nationally and use social media to echo an important message far beyond their own circulation area.

“It also underlines how important it is for the police to provide families with open access to the media, as it can genuinely help their cause.”

Cumbria Police have stressed Teesside University criminology student Matthew was not worse for wear and was capable of asking for help. They know that he tried calling at different establishments locally in his attempts to get back to his B&B around a mile away in Windermere.

Matthew’s parent Claire and Bob believe he would have approached other people on the street. It’s those potential witnesses that the couple said they are desperate to hear from.