An appeal has been made to find a tabby cat who went missing in Wells before Christmas, after posters asking for help in locating him were taken down.

Archie escaped his carrier outside Westfield Vets in Wells on December 18, and his owner and Search And Scan (SAS) Somerset have been searching for him ever since.

They have had several reports of sightings, and SAS have been helped by people topping up food at feeding stations, delivering leaflets and putting up posters, but none of the sightings have turned out to be Archie.

SAS volunteer Carolyn Leader told Wells Nub News: "Archie's owner is extremely worried and upset.

"We always put up posters because not everyone is on social media and many missing pets have been found through people reading posters.

"It's a mystery as to why anyone would want to sabotage a search by removing them and extremely distressing for those involved.

"Search and Scan volunteers, like myself, fund much of the work from our own pockets, with small donations helping to buy some specialist equipment, so stealing posters like this not only hinders a specific search but also puts other searches in jeopardy when we run out of things like ink and paper, and have to keep printing extra posters.

"In the past we have had traps sabotaged and trail cameras stolen too. We just don't understand why anyone would want to steal from a voluntary organisation who are just trying to help other people in the community."

If you know where Archie is or have seen him, you can call SAS Somerset on 01749 938813 or 07920 474062.