A MAN who was reported missing from Saltcoats earlier this week has been traced, police have announced.

A major search operation was launched along the Three Towns coastline on Thursday in an effort to locate Liam Watkins.

Mr Watkins, 37, was reported missing early on October 26. 

He had last been seen at a convenience store in the town's Hamilton Street the previous night.

Police were joined by the Troon RNLI lifeboat crew, a coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Prestwick, and by shore-based coastguard teams in the operation.

Teams were alerted at 6.15am on Thursday and searches were carried out at Clyde Marina in Ardrossan as well as along the Saltcoats shore after police enquiries established that Mr Watkins may have been seen in the Saltcoats harbour area in the early hours of Thursday.

But in an update issued on Friday police announced that Mr Watkins had been found.

A spokesperson said: "Liam Watkins, who was reported missing from Saltcoats, has been traced.

"Thank you to everyone who shared our appeal."