THE family of a man with a mental age of seven who went missing from his Abertillery home say he is back safe and well.

Mark Howells, who is 34 and lives with his parents in Glandwr Street, went missing on Tuesday evening.

His relieved family said that he is extremely vulnerable and child-like, and told the Argus yesterday that they were desperate to find him quickly. And last night, after police and his family had been searching for him for two days, Mr Howells was found in Cardiff.

His delighted mother, Carol, 58, said today: "We are so relieved that he is safe and well."

Mr Howells is now understood to be staying with his sister. Mr Howells went missing twice before in the last year but was found within hours on both occasions.

Hours before he was found yesterday, his worried mother made an emotional appeal for him to come home.

She told the Argus: "We are very worried about Mark now - we just want him to come home."

Mrs Howells had gone to work in Abertillery and her husband, Mervyn, had gone out to choir practice when their son left their home on Tuesday. He took his mobile telephone, bus pass and the keys to his parents' caravan in Porthcawl.

The family said they believed Mr Howells had caught buses to Newport, then Cardiff, and the last bus to Porthcawl.

His niece, Sarah Baskerville, 19, of Aberbeeg, said it appeared Mr Howells had been to the caravan on Tuesday night.

Before Mr Howells was found yesterday, she said: "He has never been missing more than 12 hours before and it's 42 hours now."

Mr Howells had also been in touch with friends in Brynbach Park, Tredegar, where he works two days a week, but he didn't tell them where he was.

Mr Howells also kept his mobile telephone off so police were unable to trace him.