British woman missing in Valencia during road trip from Costa Blanca to UK

A British woman has gone missing after starting a long road journey to get back from Spain’s Costa Blanca to the UK.

Wendy Iles’ worried daughter Louise, who has already contacted UK police, said late yesterday she had last heard from her mum around 9pm on Sunday in the Alfafar area in the province of Valencia.

Saying she already had an Interpol reference number, Louise said as she appealed for information on her mum’s whereabouts alongside a picture of her with the Springer Spaniel called Beau accompanying her: “Last known to be outside of Valencia between Sillar-Alfafar-Russafa yesterday (MAY 24).”

Referencing an upmarket residential area called Cumbre del Sol in the municipality of Benitachell near the Costa Blanca coastal resort of Javea where Wendy is thought to have started her journey from, she added: “Was travelling from Cumbre del Sol to Caen, France, to get the ferry back to the UK but missed their ferry crossing May 23.

“Under 5ft tall travelling with springer Spaniel, although camper and passports now thought to be stolen. Phone now off.”

Her camper van is a UK-plated vehicle with the registration V233 HWA.

Louise replied to one well-wisher on an expat forum who asked why she thought the camper van and passports had been stolen: “I’m going with my last conversation with her where she was without the vehicle and had reported it stolen.”

She added in a second message late last night on her social media after getting an Interpol reference number: “If anyone I know has any family, friends or contacts in Spain please can you share this post with them to see if there has been any sightings of my mum in the Valencia area.

·”British police will not track her bank transactions until she’s classed as high risk, and Spanish police will not search until 48 hours have passed.

“Last heard from her 9pm UK time yesterday (MAY 24) in the Alfafar area.

“She is very confused and did not turn up at the hotel I suggested she stay at whilst we get her camper van sorted. Phone not active since 9.45pm yesterday.”

Last month Paul Daniel Strange, 70, vanished the same day he was due to start the long drive back in his van from the fishing and tourist town of Palomares in Almeria in south-east Spain to Essex where he lives.

The retired builder and locksmith, from Leigh-on-Sea, had been staying at a friend’s apartment.

Fortunately dad-of-three Paul turned up safe and well within hours of his loved ones going public with a plea for help - but not before his son and son-in-law flew to Spain to look for him.

On February 11 British holidaymaker Iain Stanley, 79, vanished in Nerja on the eastern Costa del Sol after leaving an apartment near the town’s Perla Marina hotel.

Tragically he was found dead after a week-long police search of the area.