Fears for missing Brit pensioner, 76, who vanished from Costa del Sol bar ahead of flight home

Fears are growing for the welfare of Clifford Wildgoose, a 76-year-old British pensioner who vanished from a Costa del Sol bar just one day before he was due to fly home. He was last seen at around 2 a.m. on Saturday at Patrick's 19th Hole Bar in Puerto Banus, an upmarket resort near Marbella. The Whitby, Yorkshire, native had been on a weekend break with a friend and was scheduled to board a flight back to the UK on Sunday morning.

His daughter, Melanie, who lives in Manchester, said her father was 'not feeling well' at the time and that the family are 'extremely worried' by his sudden disappearance. She told reporters that the gate had closed on the flight he was due to board and his friends were at Malaga airport with no contact. Police are investigating two card transactions tied to Wildgoose’s account: a £7 purchase at a nearby supermarket on the morning of Sept. 21 and a £5 transaction on Sept. 20. It remains unclear whether the purchases were made by Wildgoose or by someone who had access to his wallet.

Melanie added that Wildgoose had left both his phone and passport at a friend's apartment in La Cala de Mijas, about a 30-minute drive from Puerto Banus. She noted that the address is unfamiliar to him and that he would not be expected to know how to reach it. At the time he disappeared, he was carrying only a few euros and his bank card. Describing his father as a 'chatty, friendly, kind man' who was well travelled, Melanie said he is well known in Marsden near Huddersfield, where many of his friends live and where he used to reside.

In a desperate bid for information, Melanie posted a missing-person alert on social media, identifying him as a 76-year-old from the UK and asking for tips. She wrote that the family were extremely worried and that police had been informed, adding that her father had no phone and there had been no contact since he vanished. The posts underscored the urgency of the search as family members await any possible sightings or clues.

The disappearance comes amid a broader, ongoing effort by authorities in the Costa del Sol region to locate missing Britons. In a related development reported this week, police said they found a body believed to be that of Andrew Wade, a 65-year-old British man who had been missing since Aug. 15. Wade’s disappearance prompted drones and other resources to be deployed in a search near Estepona, in an area known as Paraiso. Investigators indicated that Wade may have been preparing to move back to the UK when he vanished, and reports noted he had left behind his two cats, a detail that acquaintances described as unlike him. Authorities did not immediately confirm the identity of the body.

National Police officials said they are continuing to investigate both cases and urged anyone with information to come forward. They emphasized that verification procedures are ongoing and that no formal identification has been released publicly regarding Wade at this time. The relative timing of the two cases has drawn attention to safety concerns for travelers in the popular holiday corridor along the Costa del Sol, though authorities cautioned against drawing broad conclusions from separate incidents.

The search for Wildgoose remains active as his family awaits updates. Police and local volunteers have canvassed the area around Puerto Banus and La Cala de Mijas for possible sightings, while detectives review surveillance footage and card-payment records in a bid to establish a timeline of events on the day of disappearance. In the meantime, Melanie and other relatives have asked for privacy and for anyone with information to contact authorities with details that could help locate Wildgoose or clarify the origin of the observed transactions.