POLICE officers were tirelessly searching for a missing person on the ground, until they found a pilot who could help them out.

Yesterday, Inspector Gardiner was driving through fields in Wantage desperately searching for a person who had been reported missing.

He came across an airfield, belonging to V 1 Flight, and explained the situation to Hal, the smiley pilot pictured on the left.

Hal volunteered to take the inspector up to the skies to have a look and speed up the search.

This is the view from the sky over Wantage:

Herald Series:

The person was found safe and well. It is not known if they were discovered by the inspector whilst in the air.

Thames Valley Police urged anybody needing help in a mental health crisis to call 111 for the NHS 24/7 helpline.