POLICE searching for missing father Richard Davies say a man was seen swimming in the River Taff, Cardiff, around the time he disappeared.

Officers revealed the information as Mr Davies' distraught wife, Michelle, told the Argus: "I need to know that he is OK."

The Blaenavon businessman, a father of two, was last seen in Cardiff's Reflex bar on December 20.

Yesterday officers said they received reports of a man swimming in the River Taff about 11pm that night - the time Mr Davies vanished.

Detective Constable Stuart Summers said: "We are always concerned when a man goes missing in circumstances like this, but after 17 days with absolutely no contact and no sightings we have huge concerns.

"There have been no positive sightings of him.

"We are grinding to a stop, we have carried out all the inquiries we possibly can, and we still don't know what happened to Richard Davies at 11pm on Friday, December 20."

Detectives want anyone who may have gone swimming in the River Taff that night to contact them.

DC Summers added: "If this person came forward it would assist us and enable us to eliminate him and centre our inquiries somewhere else."

Mr Davies, 39, of Avon Road, was with colleagues from Blaenavon firm Resitech Design at a pre-Christmas works party.

His wife said yesterday she first became worried for her husband's safety after he still had not returned home from his works party at 5.10am.

"It was so strange," she said. "I am no wiser now than I was when he went missing."

She added: "I need to know he is OK."

* Pictured, Michelle Davies with her sister-in-law Helen Blackman